They All Lived Story 31: Boys Will Be
by LadyWordsmith
Summary: In theory all boys grow up eventually. Ethan's learned a lot about himself. Will's got his research and a beautiful girl. Edward gets the chance to jump back into life and finds himself in an unexpected new role. Life has plenty of lessons at all ages.
1. Chapter 1

**November 2nd****th****, 1956**

It was surprising how quickly someone could settle back into life when life was going the way he wanted. The last couple of weeks back in Central had been great by Edward's standards; downright fantastic compared to the last couple of years! Doctor Gray had taken a look at Edward's updated medical files and been amazed, but agreed that his heart looked great and he was in overall excellent health. Doctor Irons had talked to him and looked at some of Mei and Bao's notes, and also been highly approving of Ed's psychological stability and how much he had dealt with his problems. Breda had been happy to declare Ed fully fit to go back to work when he wanted. Al had promised him a few combat classes right off too.

Not that Ed had leapt immediately back into work. He had taken a couple of weeks to let the heady excitement die down and let him and Winry settle back into life. Bounce and Daia were happy to see them, though he suspected neither female dog had missed Pir's antics too much! They put up with his rowdy puppy antics, but both clearly would have preferred to nap uninterrupted.

Of course there was plenty of time spent with family as well. They were over at Al and Elicia's, or Sara and Franz's pretty much every night. Then, as soon as they had the house in order, Ed and Winry invited every family member – who was currently in Central – over for dinner. Trisha, even at only two, seemed just as excited by her grandfather's new found energy and willingness to pull little alchemy tricks for her enjoyment.

"Are you sure they didn't transmute your _brain_?" Sara joked as she watched Ed playing with Trisha on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"If they did I'm not complaining," Ed shrugged, tickling his granddaughter.

"Stop it!" Trisha giggled, rolling over laughing.

"Only if I get a hug," Ed grinned and was rewarded by a full-on toddler tackle.

Sara smiled. "I guess I can't either. Maybe the change is just more pronounced because we didn't see you for months, but I feel like we've gone back in time or something since you got back."  
"It does feel kind of like that," Ed agreed, even as he shook his head. "But reverse it. I'm finally moving forward again instead of looking back."

"I know, I know," Sara chuckled, "the world only flows in one direction and that includes our lives. Getting back in touch with who we are isn't moving backwards."

"Nice to know you listen to me sometimes," Ed teased as he set Trisha back on the floor. It felt good to banter again, to feel like he was an active part of things once more.

Sara reached out her arms as Trisha got up and ran back to her mother, giggling. "I always listened, Dad," she pointed out. "I just didn't always agree with what you said."

This was true. Ed sighed and sat up. "And if I'd listened to you more, maybe I'd have remembered my own advice," he smiled self-depreciatingly. "You've accomplished more on your own, in some ways, than I ever will."

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, her brow furrowing slightly as she settled Trisha on her lap.

"You've made Colonel entirely on your own ingenuity," Ed pointed out with a shrug. "Sure I passed the State exam at twelve, but Mustang _handed_ me General. I didn't earn it until much later. I have to admit, knowing now that Fuhrer Bradley was a homunculus, and that they _knew_ who Al and I were, I'm not entirely convinced they didn't pass _me _just so they could keep track of me and Alphonse by keeping us under the control of the military."

"I never thought of that," Sara admitted.

"Neither had I," Al admitted, joining the conversation as he sat down in the easy chair. "But it does kind of make sense doesn't it?"

Ed nodded. "Sure I was good enough, or no scheme would have made that look plausible. Still, there were other people there who deserved it as much as, or more than, I did. But that's my point," he smiled at Sara. "You've worked hard for everything you've got and you've done it on your own, not because of someone else's name or agenda."

"That's my wife the Colonel," Franz chuckled proudly as he set a cup of tea down on the coffee table next to Sara. He kissed her cheek and Sara blushed slightly at the praise.

"All I did was my duty," Sara objected. "I do my job the best I can. Though if that's better than someone else that's not my fault right?" she added with just a hint of a satisfied smirk.

"Lucky for the military," Al laughed, sipping from his cup of tea.

"Speaking of doing their part," Sara grinned and lifted Trisha off her lap, handing her up toward Franz. "Someone needs her diaper changed."

Franz laughed but took his daughter. "And I do my duty," he teased as he went to do just that.

"Definitely a Colonel," Ed smirked at his daughter. "You've learned how to delegate unpleasant duties to other officers I see."

"Hey, we had a deal," Sara chuckled, "I carried her and gave birth,_ he_ can change a few diapers."

"Sounds like the standard agreement," Al nodded.

Ed shook his head in amusement. "I'm still not entirely sure how fair that one is."

"Oh really?" Winry asked, coming out of the kitchen with a hot, baked pasta dish in her mitted hands. "You don't think three days of pain and agony isn't an equivalent exchange for sometimes helping out with child care?"

"Hey I suffered right there with you," Ed teased, standing up and coming around the couch. "And nine years of diapers and helping out was all part of the job. I won't claim you didn't work harder." He kissed her cheek. "I'm just saying women are so much stronger than men; so obviously we're not as capable of handling the parenting workload. Here, let me get that for you," he took the mitts and the dish and set it on the table.

"Very smooth, Edward," Winry smirked at him.

"Hey a stray dog can learn tricks." Ed shrugged.

"At least you finally learned to follow basic commands," Elicia teased him as she came in from the kitchen with salad. Gracia followed with hot cheese-covered bread and Alyse with dessert, which looked like cheese and fruit pastries.

"But how do we know you'll continue to behave?" Sara asked as they gathered around the table to eat. It was said half in jest, but Ed could understand why Sara would be cautious. Franz joined them, tucking Trisha into her booster seat.

"I have for over three years," Ed pointed out, not offended, as he filled his plate. At this point he didn't even really mind discussing it in front of the whole family. They deserved to know after as much as they had put up with from him. "And it's kind of hard to forget a lesson when you still have reminders."

"Like what?" Sara asked curiously. "Watching you the last few days, it's like nothing ever happened. All that's left is a lot of memories."

"Not everything can be fixed by alchemy," Ed sighed. "Not even with everything the Xing are capable of. They don't mess with the mind if they can help it. It's too complex, and once the body decides it wants something, convincing it otherwise is pretty difficult."

"So psychological damage still has to be dealt with the old fashioned way," Al commented as he took a bite of bread.

Ed took a bit bite of bread. "Yep," he commented around the bite, and swallowed. "More importantly, there are still a lot of painkillers that no sane doctor would ever use on me. It's just too risky." Mei had made it clear that anything with the same base components was likely to have an immediate response. They had already proven the addiction; his body would always be sensitive in that respect.

"And alcohol?"

"Is this dinner or an interrogation?" Winry looked over at her daughter.

Ed laid a hand on hers on the table. "It's all right, Winry. It's a fair question." They had been kind enough not to swamp him with questions as soon as they had returned home. He was thankful for that. He shrugged and smiled. "That's something else I get to deal with on my own for the rest of my life. If you want to ask Bao Xian about it, he's an expert on psychological addiction and physical, and the differences. Even Irons complimented his notes and the results."

"Now that's something," Al chuckled. "Almost makes me wish I could take a look." Psychology was one of his interests after all.

"You can just ask me questions like usual," Ed retorted before he smiled at Sara. "The real answer to that is I'm about as recovered as it's possible to be, and as long as I'm careful I can keep it from being a problem ever again. Which means I have to get your mother's approval," he added with a chuckle. That was the best safety check he could come up with.

Sara looked mildly impressed. "Now you've really convinced me they did something to your brain."

"They fixed it," Winry chuckled, squeezing Ed's hand before going back to her own meal. "Fortunately, because we still haven't managed to make an auto-mail head."

"And I really don't want to know what would be involved in attaching that," Elicia chuckled even as she grimaced.

"And I'm rather fond of the existing one," Winry agreed with a nod.

"Thank goodness," Ed laughed with some relief as everyone at the table chuckled. He really did not want to consider what Winry might be capable of if she didn't like his head! He was just glad that was something left to the imagination, and he would never have to find out. If nothing else, he could rest assured that Winry loved him the way he was.

**November 14****th****, 1956**

The night before Edward planned to start back at HQ, Roy and Riza invited them over for dinner. It had been a long time since Ed had been over to their place and he looked forward to it. Aside from the good food – which Ed always looked forward to – he hadn't really had a chance to talk to Roy much in a long time. If he had talked to Roy a few years ago, Ed was pretty sure a lot of the pain he had caused himself could have been avoided. Roy was another friend he had hurt, and it was frankly a miracle that Roy still liked him.

After dinner, while the girls talked in the living room, Ed and Roy escaped to Roy's private study.

"No reason we should have to listen to them discussing such exciting things as interior decorating," Roy commented as he sat in his leather desk chair, sipping sparkling water.

"Or the catalog of our faults," Ed agreed with a smirk as he looked around the room. It hadn't changed much, other than a distinct lack of piles of paperwork. In fact, it was probably the cleanest Ed had ever seen it.

"That would be their favorite subject," Roy chuckled.

On the wall, Ed noticed something he never really had, given it had usually been behind everything else. There was a board on which were pegged dozens of photographs. His own glass of water in hand, Ed crossed the room. "I've never seen most of these," he commented curiously as he bent in for a better look.

"I keep the good memories on there," Roy commented. "At least, some of them. Riza has albums full of photos."

"Winry keeps ours," Ed smiled. A large number of Roy's were older photos, and surprisingly few were _of_ Roy. There was one of Maes and Gracia Hughes' wedding, a couple of shots of soldiers in Ishbal – Roy included this time – sitting around a fire, drinking and smoking. As miserable as the surroundings looked, Ed understood the camaraderie. There were several shots of Roy and Hughes, and the almost obligatory shots of Elicia when she was little. The photos ranged from forever back – including one picture of Riza when she couldn't have been more than sixteen – to much more recent; lots of his son Maes' achievements; awards in school, graduating from High School, the day he passed the State Alchemy Exam. There were plenty of shots of him and Elena and their two children, little Roy and Dorothéa.

One picture caught Ed's eye that amused him. It was of Havoc, Breda, and Roy, and all three of them were obviously drunk. Havoc and Breda were grinning like idiots and Roy looked completely passed out on the table. "This is one of the happy memories?" he chuckled, pointing at the photo.

"We were celebrating," Roy commented glibly.

"What were you celebrating?" Ed asked curiously. He couldn't quite pick when the photo was taken, but it had to be pretty old given how young the three of them looked.

"New filing cabinets." He said it so straight-laced for a moment Ed thought he had to be kidding.

"You're joking."

Roy shrugged. "I don't really remember. It was just a rough day at the office and we all wanted to go out and blow off some steam. Hughes took that one."

Hughes; the man was a reoccurring theme, as Ed had already noticed, but the mention brought something to mind. "This is going to sound a little strange," Ed commented, feeling foolish already even bringing it up, "But I've got a message for you, from Hughes."

"You're right, though that's more than a _little_ strange," Roy snorted, looking puzzled. "Care to explain?"

Ed turned away from the board and looked back at Roy. "I haven't told anyone about them here other than Winry and Al, but when the alchemist in Xing was treating me, I kept having this really odd dreams that didn't seem like normal dreams." He sipped from his glass and leaned against the table. "When I asked Bao about them, he said that I wasn't the first one to report having dreams like them."

"And just what kinds of dreams would these be?" Roy smirked, obviously expecting something humorous, possibly lewd, or potentially disturbing.

"Well, for lack of a better word, they were like visitations," Ed looked him in the eye, "Conversations with the dead."

Roy's eye went wide as he realized Ed wasn't even remotely joking. "And what did he have to say about them?"

"That some alchemical doctors have theorized that being that closely tied into the world by that much alchemical energy _might_ temporarily allow a patient to be close enough to the gate, or those beyond it, to actually talk to people who have died," Ed explained softly. "I know it sounds crazy, Roy. I was pretty sure I was hallucinating at first, but they did know things I didn't, and said things I didn't necessarily expect. It didn't feel like a regular dream either."

"You don't really think you spoke with the dead, Ed," Roy snorted, but he looked like he couldn't really dismiss the statement either; his curiosity as an alchemist was piqued. "Who did you talk to?"

"Hughes first," Ed said. "Then Havoc the next time. After that it was Pinako, Winry's grandmother; my old alchemy teacher Izumi; even my old man, and that was kind of weird I'll tell you," he smirked at the last before he felt his chest tighten slightly, the way it always did when he thought of the last conversation. "The very last one who talked to me was… my mother."

"I find that unsurprising," Roy smirked slightly again. "Psychologically, during times of stress it would make sense that the person a mind would conjure would be someone who would make you feel safe. The others," he shrugged, "who knows. But why do you think they were more than really realistic dreams?"

Roy hadn't experienced them, he couldn't have known. Ed shrugged. "I can't know for sure, but really you'd just have to see for yourself. However silly though, I promised Hughes I'd pass on a message, and even if I dreamed it, I'm not about to break a promise."

"All right," Roy chuckled. "What's this message _from beyond the grave?_"

Ed shrugged. "Well I don't really know what he meant, but he said, _I'm glad you finally took my advice. It took you long enough to look behind you."_

Roy went momentarily pale, his one good eye as wide as it could get. Then he downed his water as if it were something a good deal stiffer. "You don't know what he meant?" he asked softly after a moment, voice surprisingly harsh.

Ed shook his head. "No, but from your expression I'm guessing you do. Care to clue me in?"

A sad smile came to Roy's face, and he chuckled. "The only piece of _advice_ Maes ever gave me that fits – repeatedly to irritation – was that I should find a wife and settle down." It made sense, but Ed had never heard that before. "He was the only other person who had any idea why I hadn't either. Think about it, Ed. The answer should be obvious."

Ed hated it when Roy did that, but he did stop and think. "He was talking about Riza," he realized. Knowing what the advice was helped, but even Ed had never questioned Riza's devotion to Roy as anything other than a fellow officer back when he was a kid. He hadn't given a damn about Roy's personal life. However, he knew perfectly well who always _had the Colonel's back. _He had only really figured out the implications of their relationship later in Europe, and mostly from talking to Alphonse, who had – unsurprisingly – been much more aware of that kind of thing.

Roy nodded, still looking bemused. "Yes, he meant Riza. He always thought I was stupid for waiting. So… he told you that."

"Do you believe me now?" Ed asked.

Roy shrugged, but there was an interesting look in his eye. "The ability to speak with the dead, granted briefly by being brought closer to the Gate and what's beyond by exposure to large amounts of alchemic energy."

Ed smirked. "It's an interesting theory isn't it?" Roy believed him at least as much as Ed believed it himself. If such a thing were possible, that wouldn't be an impossible way to do it. It _was_ an explanation that made more sense than the theories Ed would have heard in Europe.

"A very interesting theory indeed."

**November 19****th****, 1956**

"Gee, Dad, every time I see you lately you're eating," Sara chuckled, rolling her eyes as Edward stepped out of the kitchen with a plate of pie.

"So stop showing up around dinner then," Ed smirked around a mouthful of dessert. _Mmmm…blackberry!_ "Besides, why are you surprised anyway? You've been _in_ half my classes this week. I'd say I've earned it." Al hadn't overloaded him his first week back, but Ed had been covering two combat classes a day all week and it felt _so_ good! Besides, he'd spent three years anal retentively watching what he ate to make sure nothing worsened his heart condition. He could afford to indulge a little now.

"Okay so maybe I'm just jealous," Sara smirked.

Ed almost laughed. "What for? It's not like you need to worry about it." His daughter had always been lean and still was though, in his opinion, it was a good thing she'd put on a little weight when she had Trisha. At least now she didn't look as underfed as Ed had often found himself over the years. She looked really good.

"Yeah, well that's not as easy as it was when I was eighteen," Sara chuckled, turning and watching Franz and Trisha out in the back yard with the dogs. It was chilly, and they were in coats, but it was one of the best ways to tire the kid out before bed. She definitely had Sara's energy!

Ed couldn't help a mildly wicked smirk as he leaned against the wall. "That's life. Give it a couple of months and you can get away with legitimately complaining about growing up." In just a couple of months, his _little girl _would be thirty!

"And you about getting old?" Sara quipped in reply.

"Nah, I've still got a couple of years for that," Ed shook his head. He wouldn't be sixty for another couple of birthdays. "Roy can gripe for both of us." Not that the Flame Alchemist _acted_ like he was in his seventies. He didn't really look it either. Retirement had been good for him, for all that he didn't particularly act retired.

"Riza assures me he does it well," Winry commented as she joined them, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

Ed swallowed a large bite of pie and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the phone ringing beside him. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Dad," Aldon's voice came across the line.

Ed grinned. "Hey! Haven't heard from you in a couple of weeks. Just enjoying having us out of your hair?"  
Aldon chuckled, but he didn't sound overly amused. "Actually, Dad, you remember that little chat we had while you were here?"

"Which one?" Ed asked, aware that Winry and Sara were both watching him with interest. "We did a lot of talking."

Aldon paused. "The one about being done with kids or not."

"Well yeah I—" Ed paused and contemplated the implications of that statement. No! "Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?" he asked in disbelief. Urey was only eight months old!

If it was possible to sound embarrassed without making any noise, Aldon did it then, though there was ironic amusement in his tone when he finally replied. "Yeah. We just found out. I figured I might as well let you know sooner."

"Well I appreciate that," Ed smirked, trying hard not to sigh. "You'd better treat that girl like a queen after this for putting up with you."

"Funny, that's what she said," Aldon chuckled. He sounded a little stressed out, though not too much so. "I need to go. It's time to start getting the boys ready for bed. Talk to you soon."

"Right. Congratulations," Ed replied. "Take care." When he hung up, he had Sara and Winry's undivided attention.

"So what did Aldon have to say?" Winry asked, having clearly guessed who he was talking to. It probably hadn't been that difficult to tell.

Ed looked between them and couldn't help chuckling. "They're expecting… again." Four kids? And Coran would barely be seven when this one came. It had taken Ed and Winry almost eleven years to have three!

"You're kidding!" Sara gasped slightly and shook her head. "I'm amazed Cassie hasn't killed him by now…or at least gotten him fixed," she added with a little smirk.

"There will be no talk of such things in regards to your brother," Winry replied with a surprisingly prim tone, at least for her. Then she groaned, spoiling the effect. "That's entirely between them."

"Hey, how about a little happiness here?" Ed ribbed them, though he scowled. "They're good parents. I'm sure they can handle four kids." He smiled then. "It's the lack of sleep I'd worry about." They had the space, the patience, the love, and the means since the house was paid for. Ed just hoped they could both handle the added work and chaos of another baby so quickly. His mother had had him and Al almost that close together, but she'd only had the two of them.

"Maybe we should consider visiting them again in a few months," Winry suggested immediately, smiling. "It sounds like they might need some extra hands."

Now_ that_ was a good idea. "I'll bring it up with Aldon the next time we talk," Ed said. It would be next summer, so he could surely take a little time off then. As much as he knew Aldon liked proving himself capable and independent, especially after he and Cassie had gotten a little help from Ed and Winry getting life started and settled at first, Ed suspected his son would be grateful for it. Aldon had sounded tired on the phone. Not unhappy, but perhaps as unprepared for the news as the rest of the family. _That_ right now, was what concerned Ed the most.

* * *

"So how did your parents take it?" Cassie asked as Aldon joined her upstairs. Coran and Reichart were already in their pajamas and in their room, and Cassie was changing Urey in the nursery.

"Pretty well," Aldon smiled half-heartedly. "Here, let me get him. You should take it easy."

"Normally I'd argue with you," Cassie smiled back, kissing his cheek as she willingly let him step in. "But I'm exhausted."

"So rest," Aldon kissed her back as he tucked his youngest son into his pajamas. "I'll get Urey down and read Coran and Art their bedtime story."

"I'll go make some tea."

Aldon watched Cassie leave the room, feeling both grateful for how well she handled life's surprises, and guilty at the same time for putting her through it all again so soon. Under his hand, Urey giggled and grabbed at him, drawing Aldon's attention back to his youngest. "All right. Let's get you to sleep," he smiled, scooping the baby up into his arms.

Fortunately it only took about fifteen minutes of walking to get Urey to conk out on his shoulder. Once the baby was in his crib, Aldon read the older boys a story, made sure they had both gone to the bathroom and gotten drinks of water, and tucked them in. So it was nearly half an hour before he got back downstairs.

As much as Cassie insisted she was tough enough to handle things, Aldon still worried. Sure they lived in a warmer climate, but even after three children, his wife was still a slim, lightly built woman; a little more delicate than most of the women he knew. It would never have occurred to him to worry about his mother or Sara, even with the things they had been through.

When he came into the living room he found Cassie resting on the couch. She wasn't asleep, but she smiled drowsily up at him. "That didn't take long."

Aldon shrugged. "They're good kids." He waited a moment, then sighed. He had felt an odd mix of excitement and guilt ever since Cassie came back from work that afternoon with the news that they would have another child in July. He loved his kids, and they really didn't have too much trouble handling three, but four? There had been longer spacing with the other three. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Cassie chuckled even as she rolled her eyes, though her expression softened almost immediately. "Are you?"

Aldon smiled, sitting down on the edge of the couch carefully so Cassie wouldn't have to move to make room. "Still a little stunned," he admitted. "I know we'd talked about the possibility of another one later, I just figured later would be…."

"Later?" Cassie nodded. "Usually we've had longer before we had to worry about it again," she pointed out. It was true. After Coran and Reichart they'd had months without having to worry about fertility. Apparently this time it hadn't been quite as long a period before they needed to be careful.

"I still feel like this is my fault," Aldon admitted what had been bothering him for the last few hours. It wasn't the first time they'd _accidentally_ ended up in this situation, and while he certainly loved and wanted all three of their boys, he wanted very much not to be reminded that when it came to his wife he still wasn't always the best at self-control or common sense.

"I seem to recall dragging you to bed at least as often as you dragged me, Don," Cassie chuckled softly, though she blushed even as she said it. "So, you said your folks took it well?"

Aldon nodded, resting his hand gently on her shoulder. "Yeah. Dad sounded surprised, but I was expecting that; happy too from his tone. I'm sure they think I'm horribly irresponsible though."

"Stop beating yourself up over this okay?" Cassie shifted from her side onto her back, so she could rest her hand on his. "We have a good home, jobs we enjoy, and I like to think that the fact we have three healthy, well-behaved boys means we're pretty good parents."

Always the voice of reason; well most of the time. Aldon leaned over and kissed her gently. "No one seems to dispute that," he agreed, "Not even your parents." Even after seven years – and three days - of marriage Aldon still felt like her parents were judging him when they talked or visited. Oh they were nice people, and he liked them well enough, but they made him uneasy. He was fairly certain they would never entirely forgive him for getting Cassie pregnant the first time just because of the timing. At least _his_ Dad only teased him about it occasionally.

"I'll handle telling Mom and Dad," Cassie assured him. "If they say anything I'll tell them I boldly seduced you and forced you into bed okay?"

"Now you're being silly." Which was probably the idea, because Aldon couldn't help chuckling.

"Fine, I'll tell them we wanted to give them a grand-daughter and we just couldn't wait to try again," Cassie countered.

"With our luck so far, are you sure we stand any better chance at a girl this time?" Aldon asked, slightly amused. He'd love a daughter, but so far the odds didn't look great in his opinion.

Cassie shrugged slightly. "With three boys, I figure we're due."

"Not for another few months," Aldon did laugh this time, weak as the joke was. He knew everything would be all right, and their family would have another welcome addition come summer. Still, Urey was just starting to sleep through the night and fortunately mostly weaned; but three boys, working at the village hospital, and being pregnant again? Aldon couldn't help but worry that it would be too hard on his wife. He would do everything he could to make things as easy for her as possible; he just hoped it was enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**November 26th, 1956**

Cassandra and Aldon weren't the only family members with good news. Will and Ren arrived from Xing about a week later, and Alphonse and Elicia were thrilled to find out that their son had proposed to the Emperor's sister as planned and Ren had gladly accepted!

"This is so exciting," Elicia hugged them both enthusiastically. "Dare I ask where and when you plan to have the wedding?"

Alphonse could just imagine that marrying off an Emperor's sister, even if she wasn't an heir to the throne, couldn't be a small matter in Xing!

"We'd like to have it here in Central," Ren smiled as she returned the hug. "As much as I love my country I would prefer not to have a fully traditional Xingese wedding, and if we were married at home, occasion and custom would demand it."

"It's the part of the vows about being subjugated to her husband and always doing his bidding I think she objects to," Will chuckled, putting his arm around his fiancée's shoulders.

Al grinned. "Wise choice."

Ren shrugged. "In Xing it is tradition, and rare are the men who do not hold their wives to those standards even today. My family has an unusually large percentage of that rare few and I'm afraid it tends to make some women of the Chan and Xian families too independent to make _good Xingese wives._"

"But it makes them perfect Amestrians," Will grinned. "We were thinking it would be nice to have the wedding next winter. It gives us a year to plan and get everything in order."

"It also gives your government time to prepare for the fact that the Imperial family of Xing will be paying their first diplomatic visit in person in multiple generations," Ren chuckled. "I suspect President Breda and the Assembly would like to have at least a little warning, am I correct?"

"Definitely," Al agreed. That was assuredly not a surprise they wanted to spring on the guys over at HQ and the Assembly Hall. "So I take it this fits in with all your travel plans?" he asked his son. Will had told him months ago about the opportunities this had opened up for his alchemical and historical research. He would be spending quite a bit of time in Creta, Xing, and even in Drachma and Aerugo should the situation present itself for the last.

Will nodded. "We'll be in Creta for a few months, but back in Central for the wedding."

"And after?" Alyse joined the conversation with an amused expression.

"A couple of romantic weeks as far away from my_ kid _sister as I can get before we head for the East end of Xing," Will smirked.

"Kid indeed," Alyse sniffed. She was already nineteen. Her grin didn't fade though. "So I take it you'll be needing someone to help coordinate things, especially given you'll be out of town for a while before the wedding?" she asked, smiling knowingly.

Will laughed, but it was Ren who answered. "I was hoping you could coordinate the wedding for us," she admitted with a smile at her soon-to-be sister. "Will and Ethan both tell me you're one of the best around."

"Only _one_ of them?" Alyse eyed Will.

"Oh come on, 'Lyse," Will grinned. "I couldn't count out Mom and Grandma!"

"True," Alyse chuckled. "I'd love to coordinate your wedding." She and Ren hugged and almost immediately vanished into the other room talking about plans.

"That actually took longer than I expected," Will smirked.

"For Alyse to offer, or them to start planning?" Gracia asked.

"Both," Will laughed. "If I'm not careful I may not see Ren again until next year."

"Oh I suspect she won't be nearly as difficult to pry away from planning as some," Elicia smiled. "Now why don't you actually come into the living room and get comfortable instead of standing here in the entry way?"

"Just tell me dinner's ready," Will teased as they all moved to do as Elicia suggested. "We didn't have much on the train."

"Was that because what they had wasn't appealing or your traveling companion?" Al chuckled as he headed for the couch.

"No comment."

**December 15****th****, 1956**

It had been decided in advance that Ren would once more take up temporary residence in Ed and Winry's house during her stay in Central. Not because the family didn't trust the situation, but because with Gracia living there and Will in the other bedroom, she would have had no privacy. Lia was following Ethan home for the holiday as well, and while Ethan would have his room, Lia would be staying over as a guest at Sara and Franz's house. Again, not because the family didn't trust the situation, but… okay, _Edward_ didn't entirely trust the situation. Not given the current batting average for common sense and romance in his family. It didn't matter that he was as sure as anyone else the young couples in their family were perfectly responsible and well behaved, he was not willing to leave opportunities to chance. That, and the truth was that there just weren't enough bedrooms to go around at the moment.

"Don't you think you're being a little paranoid?" Winry asked Ed the morning before Ethan arrived back from East City. They were putting clean sheets on his bed. Ren had already been picked up by Will and they had gone out for the day; looking at wedding venue options she told them.

"He's _my_ son, I'm allowed to be concerned," Ed smirked, not entirely feeling humorous. "If he were Al's I probably would be less worried." It had been nearly a year since he had actually seen Ethan in person thanks to their trip to Xing, and even though they had exchanged letters and talked several times he felt like he wasn't entirely sure how well he could really say he knew his son at the moment.

"From everything we've heard he's fine," Winry scolded gently. "They both are. What are you really afraid of, Ed?" She laid one hand gently on his arm. "That there's something Ethan wouldn't tell you, or is this about the fact our baby is grown? Ethan's perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He's doing great in school just as he always has, and he's gotten over his hang-up about being in love with Lia."

Ed shrugged and pulled the blanket up the bed to the pillows before folding it back properly. "I don't know why I'm uneasy," he admitted. "Maybe it's a little of all of that. I can't help but wait for something to counter all the good that's happened this year, even though I know logically that I've already paid the price and this is me getting balance back in my life." He turned his head and smiled at Winry, shrugging. "But no, after the last few years, I'm not ready to have him really move out. I don't know if it's because he's the last, or because of how tough things have been for him sometimes. I still feel guilty that he was home for that whole mess." It had taken time to rebuild their close bond after that even though they had both been willing.

"Oh, Ed," Winry hugged him, and he turned to accommodate. He never refused a hug from Winry, not anymore. "Why don't you just wait and talk to Ethan and see for yourself before you start worrying over what's probably nothing?"

"I'm trying, I swear," Ed chuckled softly. "I guess I should just get over to Headquarters and distract myself until they get here this evening."

Winry smiled. "Now that is the most sensible thing you've said this morning."

"As opposed to all week?" Ed smirked. "Wow, my record is improving."

* * *

"Ethan, you'd better wake up," Lia's voice chuckled softly in his ear. "We're in Central."

Ethan had been napping in his seat on the train for the past couple of hours. Or at least _trying_ to nap. He never had figured out how his father had slept on trains as often as he claimed in stories of his childhood. Ethan had found it easier when he was younger, but he never slept as soundly as he did in bed. He opened his eyes and looked up, smiling. "Good news delivered by an angel."

Lia blushed slightly, clearly pleased. Even after a year of dating, anything even remotely romantic out of his mouth made her respond like that. Ethan liked that; he still had the same response to her too. And yet, despite those moments – and the kissing and such – very little had really changed. That was what had convinced Ethan over the months that he didn't have to worry about _if_ the relationship was a good idea. He had fallen for Lia a long time ago, and she for him. Their relationship had come out of their close friendship naturally, unforced. He knew it wasn't going to just fade away, and that made him feel stable.

"Well then you can be a saint and help with the baggage," Lia giggled as she reached up to the bins above the train seats and pulled down her suitcase. They hadn't been able to afford private berths, but they had each bought a seat and sat together. It was comfortable enough if they shared jackets as blankets and pillows.

Ethan sat up and then stood. "I've got them," he smiled, pulling down his own suitcase and picking up both. Neither of them were heavy travelers fortunately. He followed Lia to the door of the train and down onto the platform.

Despite the press of the crowd, his mother and father were easy to find! He barely made his way through the press before his mother enfolded him in a tight hug. "I've missed you so much," she smiled as she squeezed him, then stepped back and smiled at Lia and – to Ethan's mild embarrassment – hugged her too. "Did you have a good trip?" she asked them both. "Did you sleep?" she eyed Ethan warily a moment later. "You look tired. Was it a difficult semester?"

"One question at a time, Mom!" Ethan laughed. He didn't really mind. It was good to hear his mother's voice, to see her face. "Yes it was a good trip. Yes I slept…some, and the semester was about the same as last Spring so sometimes difficult but otherwise just busy."

Winry nodded, apparently appeased by his answers for the moment. "And have you been eating? You look more underfed than your father."

"Hey!" Ethan and Edward said in unison.

Lia giggled. "Not for lack of trying, Mrs. Elric, I promise!"

"On either end," Winry chuckled.

Ethan fell back and walked with his father as they headed towards the car. He found it easier to deal with the realities of _having_ a girlfriend when he didn't have to watch her play the part so openly in public! Normally their affections were not displayed outside the privacy of their dorm rooms beyond holding hands or maybe a quick kiss. "It's good to see you, Dad," he smiled as they walked. "It was really strange being home last summer without you and Mom around."

"Probably not half as strange as my summer," Ed teased.

"That's true," Ethan agreed. His father had told him a little about his time in Xing via phone calls and letters. Mostly he had talked about the alchemical treatments, some of the psychological and philosophical discussions he'd had with old Bao Chan, and news about the Xian family and general information. Still, he had hinted at other things that he hadn't wanted to discuss likely except in person. "Where's your shadow?"

"At home tormenting his mother and your dog," Ed smiled at the question about Pir. "I think they actually liked it better when we were gone."

"It was quieter," Ethan nodded. "So," he grinned, "Your promise for some really sparring still stands right? It's been a bear getting through the semester without a real workout partner." Ethan had continued to show up for the wrestling team practices – and_ show up_ most of the team – and the martial arts club at the university, and work out on his own, but it wasn't the same. It just wasn't enough of a challenge.

"You couldn't pay me not to," Ed replied, his smile widening. "I've been looking forward to it." He glanced at the women walking ahead of them. Ethan could have guessed the words that would come out of his father's mouth next. "So how are things with you two?"

"You mean you're actually going to ask me instead of just getting it all from the family gossip chain?" Ethan kidded.

"I prefer a reliable primary source," his father shrugged. "Besides, you haven't been forthcoming with that kind of information in letters or on the phone."

Ethan felt a mild twinge of guilt. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to his Dad about that kind of thing, it was just that it was hard to write about sometimes, and definitely not something to be talked about when the only phone was the public one on the floor! "Things are good," he replied. "I was kind of surprised at first by how little going out really changed things, even though it felt like a lot at the beginning."

His Dad smiled knowingly. "And now?"

"Now I can't imagine going back," Ethan smiled, sure his ears were turning pink. "Not that I'm in a hurry to change anything," he admitted. It had taken years to get this far. Right now it still felt new and good. There would be time for more later.

"There's no need to rush," his father surprised him with his reply. "You've got school to finish, and then figuring out what you want to do from there."

"I might get the chance to do some of my upper level studies in Xing," Ethan informed him. He had talked with a lot of the doctors who taught at the university, and given what he wanted to specialize in, they had recommended he spend some time in Xing after he finished his bachelor's degree. Ethan had been promised glowing letters of recommendation already for one of the Universities in Xing. It wasn't in the Imperial City, but even further East in the country. They might not accept him of course. A lot could happen between now and then.

"That's great," Ed smiled. "Though I guess that means we'll see even less of you after you graduate."

"Only for a couple of years if it happens" Ethan pointed out. "I still want to come back to Central to practice."

Ed was obviously pleased with that news and, perhaps, relieved? Ethan knew his father still carried lingering guilt over the stresses he had caused his family, and big life changes were harder for him than they used to be. "I'm glad to hear it."

They reached the car, and the private conversation went on hiatus as they loaded the car, piled in, and headed home to a family dinner that included Sara, Franz, and Trisha.

Trisha was thrilled to see her "Unca Etan," and before and after dinner he was happy to play with her. She always grew so much between his visits! Ethan wondered if his sister felt the same twinges he did at watching her grow up so quickly, and if that was one of those feelings that counted as _paternal_.

"You're getting big," he teased as he hugged her.

"I'm a big girl!" Trisha agreed with a firm nod. "An' yer big too!" She giggled as she sat in his lap on the floor.

"Bigger than you anyway," Ethan agreed, chuckling.

"An' Mommy, an' Gramma, an' Grandaddy, an even Antie Lia!" Trisha pointed out.

"Taller maybe," Lia chuckled, crouching down next to them, and while she had blushed when Trisha called her _auntie_, Ethan noticed she didn't bother trying to correct his niece.

"She's awfully observant," Ethan chuckled, eyeing Sara. "Getting her started early?"

"She was born that way," Sara shrugged, grinning back as she crossed the room. "Come on, kiddo," she bent down to take her daughter, "It's time to go home."

"We have ta?" Trisha pouted.

Lia stood as Sara scooped Trisha up in her arms. "You can show me your room," she pointed out.

"Yeah!" Trisha's face brightened immediately. "An' read stories?"

"A bedtime story maybe," Sara replied, though she smiled at Lia. "Let's go though. Daddy's already got the car warm." That had been one of Sara and Franz's more recent acquisitions. No more juggling the family cars or taking public transportation. Ethan wasn't surprised. He was sure it made getting around with a child easier, especially in bad weather.

Ethan got up and helped Lia get her coat while Sara took Trisha to the car. "See you tomorrow?" he asked softly, giving her a hug.

Lia chuckled as she returned it. "You asked it like there's any question," she teased. "I'm not going to be that far away. It's barely a couple of miles."

"Yeah, well Sylvan House is barely a quarter mile from Arc," Ethan countered then, not caring who might be watching, he kissed her goodbye. He couldn't help feeling a little possessive. At school they saw each other every single day, and while he knew she wasn't really any further out of reach, it felt like it.

He turned away when the door closed behind her and found no one in sight. At least not until he walked back down the hall and found his parents sitting on the couch in the living room. From his father's smirk, Ethan suspected they had purposefully done so to give him the_ privacy _to say goodbye as he chose.

"Okay, let the interrogation begin," Ethan smirked as he came in and dropped into the easy chair. It had been a long day.

"What makes you think there's going to be an interrogation?" His mother chuckled as she stood up. "I'm going to put the kettle on. Do you want something?"

"The usual," Ed shrugged casually.

"Tea's good. Thanks Mom," Ethan smiled as he settled further into the over-stuffed old chair he had always been fond of. "So what's the usual?" he asked his father curiously as Winry went into the kitchen.

"A joke we have," his father chuckled. "You'll see."

From his answer, Ethan knew it was probably a soft drink or juice or something. "Celebrating tonight?" he teased him a little, partially in fun, and partially because he wanted to know how his father would take kidding around. It had been so long since Ethan could remember his father being this relaxed and he wondered how far that extended.

"You're here aren't you?" Ed countered easily. It was clear from his expression that he got Ethan's meaning and the joking nature of it. "And despite last year's epic revelations, college doesn't seem to have eaten you alive yet."

Ethan chuckled. "Nah. This year's not really that much harder than last year. It's work, but nothing I can't handle."

"And outside of classes?" Ed asked cautiously.

"Outside of Lia and my floor mates I have almost no social life," Ethan admitted jokingly before sobering a little. "I'm still getting used to the whole _dating_ thing. I mean it's great, it's just that sometimes there are still moments I'm sure I'm dreaming."

"Get used to them," Ed said understandingly. "There are days I'm still half-convinced _I'm _dreaming."

"Before or after I scold you for forgetting to fold the laundry?" Winry teased, chuckling as she came back in and handed over a bottle of soda, then bent down and kissed his cheek. "Tea's on, should be ready in a few minutes. If you need me I'll be upstairs luxuriating in the bath."

As she turned to walk away, Ed winked at Ethan. "That means _disturb only in case of dire emergencies._"  
Ethan grinned. "I take it imminent starvation doesn't count."

"Of course not," Ed shook his head. "If that were the case your mother would never get clean."

"Somehow I just can't imagine that," Ethan replied as Ed opened the bottle and took a drink. "What flavor?" he asked.

"Root beer," his father said smugly. "Frankly, most of the time it tastes better than the real thing anyway."

"Yeah," Ethan admitted softly. Now was as good a time as any. "It does."

His father paused mid-sip. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Ethan shrugged. "Information really; after our talk last year I realized you were right. All I was doing was setting myself up to break at some point. I was afraid, and no matter how good my reasons might have been, fear should never be the primary motivation. It wasn't something I should let control my actions."

"I'm hearing a lot of past tense here," Ed sat up and looked at him curiously, though partially concerned as well. "So what happened?"

"I decided I ought to at least know my own limits," Ethan shrugged. Given how little it took to get Sara drunk, and how little anyone else in their family usually drank, it was tough to compare that to his father's much higher tolerance and get any kind of idea for where he fell in the range otherwise. "So I picked up a beer, took it home, and got less than halfway through the bottle before my body turned on me."

Ed winced. "How so?"

"Intestinal pains," Ethan replied. He didn't like to think about it; the pain had seemed almost as bad as that after his auto-mail port surgeries as a kid, if not worse. "They lasted for hours and I could hardly move. Lia found me like that." He had been grateful when Lia showed up despite the embarrassing nature of the situation. "Colt called the campus infirmary and they sent a doctor over."

"All of this happened and you never told us?" Ed interjected, scowling.

Ethan sighed. "It didn't turn out to be a big deal, Dad, and it was months ago. The doctor said it's not an allergy or anything. He's pretty sure it's some kind of hyper-sensitivity of the digestive system, probably my whole body. I mean, it went straight to my head in a sip and it was just _beer._ It's probably something I've been inclined towards since birth, but of course I haven't had any reason to know about it before now."

He tried to say it as straight-forward as possible, but he still saw discomfort on his father's face, and very possibly that little bit of guilt he noticed sometimes if something might trace back to the fact that Ethan's birth had not been easy and there were some long-term effects they could not have anticipated. "I see," Ed replied softly. "I guess that answers that question."

Ethan nodded, then smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm even more of a lightweight than Sara," he said lightly. "Not that I really mind; I didn't much care for the taste. And there is a good side to this; Colt and Lance have finally stopped bugging me about not going bar-trolling with them."

"I guess there's that," Ed chuckled, smiling weakly. "I still wish you had told us about that."

"Sorry," Ethan replied, honestly contrite. "I guess I just didn't want you to worry. It didn't last long, and it's pretty easy to avoid since I don't drink anyway." He hadn't before then and afterwards he certainly _wasn't _planning to continue after that failed experiment.

Ed nodded and relaxed as he shifted topics. "So, what does Lia have to say about your possibly going to Xing when you graduate from ECU?"

Ethan had been expecting that question, and was glad it hadn't come up when he'd told the rest of the family about the suggestion at dinner. He smiled. "She said I'd better make sure to teach her how to speak Xingese before we left."

His dad looked momentarily startled, then amused. "A little presumptuous for a couple who's taking it slow isn't it?"

Ethan shrugged. "Lia's going to be a teacher. If she learns a little Xingese, there's plenty of need for teachers in Xing, especially when it comes to learning Amestrian and about our culture and history." Of course, he knew what his father was really referring to. "Besides, we've been best friends forever. No matter what happens, that won't ever change." He'd rather die than hurt Lia. He was also fairly certain she wasn't about to give him up now that they were a couple. _She_ had made it clear that she had accepted her own feelings for him a long time ago.

"So no more panicked moments of weakness?" Ed teased, referring back to Ethan's disastrous response to the first time he and Lia had really kissed.

"No more panic," Ethan verified, blushing. "And no, no weakness." He had figured out pretty quickly once he got used to being part of a couple that as good as kissing Lia felt, and as attracted to her as he was, he really wasn't in anger danger of being overwhelmed by his feelings or desires. What they had was enough for now and he _could_ control himself, and Lia was certainly not going to let them do anything foolish either. It was at that point that he relaxed.

"Good," his father nodded looking a little embarrassed himself, probably for asking. "Not that I was worried."

"Right, Dad," Ethan chuckled. He wasn't bothered by his father's concern. After Sara and Aldon's experiences, Ethan was good with keeping things _uncomplicated_ for a while. The teapot went off in the kitchen, whistling sharply. He stood. "Relax. Lia and both want to do this right."

* * *

Later that evening, Edward snuggled up in bed beside Winry, who immediately rolled over and cuddled against him, one arm draped over his chest as he lay on his back. He liked the feel of her soft, smooth skin.

She smiled. "You look thoughtful."

Ed chuckled, his left arm around her shoulders, holding her close. "And here I was feeling relatively quiet in my mind for once."

A knowing smirk flitted across Winry's expression. "So was I right?"

"Yes," Ed sighed, kissing her forehead. "Ethan's doing just fine. What _are_ we going to do when he moves out?" He really wasn't sure what he'd do with all the kids out. Aldon was down in Resembool, Ethan would be in Xing and then who knew if life would really bring him back to Central to live or not. It had a way of tossing twists into people's plans. Sara was still here, but she had her own life too and while they saw her a lot right now, Ed knew eventually things would settle down again, or life would pick up in other ways, and they wouldn't have as much free time.

As if in answer to Ed's question, a small canine head poked up above the edge of the bed and Pir whimpered, wagging his tail.

Winry giggled. "We still have _one_ child in the house, and for once I can say he's _all your fault_."

Ed looked at the dog and chuckled, reaching out with his auto-mail hand and ruffling Pir's fur. "He is at that. All right you; you have your own bed."

Pir seemed satisfied and went and curled up on the big fluffy cushion under the window that served as his bed. Both of the girls were downstairs, likely snuggled up in Ethan's room where it was quieter. The whole house was quiet. Ren was back, and Ethan was holed up in his room for the night.

At least for now, their home was far from empty!


	3. Chapter 3

**December 19****th****, 1956**

It was an atypically warm day for December in Central. Not that it usually got really cold, though there had been more snow the last few years. Still, it was nice and Edward decided it was a good chance to walk to Military Headquarters and take advantage of the warmth and sunshine.

The day was relatively unremarkable. The combat classes were all with students today, no alchemy involved, and he won every fight that he actually engaged in. They weren't starting any new techniques today so he spent a good bit of time commenting on form and watching practice matches. He grabbed lunch in the Mess with Alphonse, Alex, and Marcus. Then in the afternoon he had two lectures, and then graded a stack of written tests.

The walk home was equally enjoyable. It was only light-jacket weather, so Ed had opted for one of his short jackets today instead of the heavy black or his red. It was still sunny, and there were a lot of people out walking and enjoying the weather just as he was.

He was only a few blocks from HQ when Ed noticed several things fairly quickly. His instincts informed him that he was being targeted by someone else on the street. Moments later he felt the unmistakable energy of a transmutation starting in close proximity and someone closing in. Yet he did not feel any immediate _threat._ It was a hunch that cause him to snap his hand down toward his pocket –

Catching a hand and wrist in his auto-mail grasp.

"Hey, let go!" The voice was young and squeaked in panic.

Ed looked over his shoulder and down, turning with a very bewildered feeling as he looked at his assailant… if he could be called that. The boy couldn't have been more than twelve years old, if Ed was generous. He was probably younger; short and thin, with a shock of unruly brown hair that fell into copper-brown eyes. What struck him though, was the transmutation circle sketched on the stone behind him – there was chalk on the boy's hand. "Not fast enough, kid," he smirked as he determined the kid was no threat.

"Please let me go!" The kid tugged frantically at his arm, but even though Ed wasn't gripping down very hard, he knew there was no way the boy would be able to get free.

"Then how about you tell me what you were doing trying to pick my pocket?" Ed turned around to face him fully.

The boy's scared eyes glanced down and seemed to catch his watch chain. "Yo-you're a State Alchemist!"

"Wow, I didn't know that," Ed quipped sarcastically, frowning. "Thanks for pointing that out. Yeah, you should really reconsider how you choose your marks."

An intense look came across the boy's face, partially obscuring the fear as it set into a familiarly stubborn expression that Ed had seen on his own kids' faces. "What do you know?"

"I know you just tried to use alchemy to steal my wallet," Ed replied. "Care to tell me why?"

"I needed the money," the boy snorted as if that much should have been obvious.

"For what?"

The kid's stubborn resolve faltered a little then. "For food," he answered finally.

Given that he did look pretty thin – not starving but thin – Ed guessed he should have expected as much. "Where do you live kid? I'd like to have a word with your folks."

The boy clamped his mouth shut and averted his eyes.

"Come on. I really don't have time for this," Ed sighed, annoyed but not really angry. "I'm taking you home, unless you'd rather take a little trip down to the police station with me."

Big eyes went even wider. "N-no, I…."

"So are you going to cooperate?" Ed asked, trying not to completely lose his patience with the kid.

"I… can't."

This was getting him nowhere. "Look I can't let you go. If you're not going to tell me where you live than I don't really have a choice. Come on," he tugged lightly on the boy's arm. The boy hesitated but didn't resist again, following along resignedly.

Ed headed for the police station, wondering if the kid was just a local troublemaker or if he even _had_ folks. Either way, he wasn't about to let a kid – let alone one who knew alchemy – go unsupervised in the streets. He tried asking questions as they walked to try and get some information but he didn't have much luck. "So, where did you learn alchemy? Where do you live?" No question elicited an answer.

When they arrived, the female police officer on duty at the desk looked up at him and after a moment blinked in apparent recognition. "Good afternoon, Fullmetal Alchemist. Can I…help you?"

Ed felt a tiny twinge of satisfaction as the kid whose arm he still held gasped at hearing his identity. "This young man thought it might be fun to try a little slight-of-hand in the street…with my wallet. I was just hoping you could help me identify him so I can have a word with his parents on the subject. He's been rather unhelpful. If not, well I'm sure a night in jail would help clear his head."

Another small gasp, quickly silenced.

The officer looked down at the boy and sighed, shaking her head. "I know who he is, Sir. We have him through here pretty regularly."

"Oh?" That wasn't what Ed had been expecting to hear. There was something in her tone that caught his attention. "For theft?"

"Attempted," she shrugged. "He's not very good. He's a ward of the state, but they don't have much luck keeping him in foster homes apparently. He keeps running off."

Ed looked down at the boy, who glared back at him in sullen silence. He looked back up at the officer. "So is there someone I can talk to?" He didn't just want to leave the kid here. It sounded like it wouldn't do much good.

"I can let you talk to the officer in charge of his case," she nodded. There were some officers specifically assigned to dealing with child cases. "That's who you ought to file the report with anyway if you aren't planning to press charges."

Ed snorted. "Against a kid for a badly botched pick-pocket job?"

She smiled slightly. "That's what I thought."

It didn't take long to arrange the meeting. While the boy sat on a bench outside the room – he was unlikely to succeed in making a break for it in a room surrounded by police officers – Ed sat down with Officer Garvis. "So what's the story?" he asked.

Garvis sighed, folding his hands together on the desk. "Terrence's mother disappeared about a year ago, no father on his official records, and no other relatives locally we could find. He had an uncle in town, but his uncle moved out around the same time and he hasn't been located."

"Any suspicion that the two incidents are involved?" Ed asked, immediately wondering at the timing. So the kid's name was Terrence.

"We looked into that," Garvis replied. "But there were no signs of anything underhanded. His mother was very ill but there were no reports of her ever turning up in any hospital records after that date. His uncle was hardly the reliable sort, behind on his rent. It looks like a pretty typical case of abandonment."

The idea made Ed angry on principle. He scowled. "So what's with him running away all the time?"

"He's a typical kid in this kind of situation," Garvis shrugged. "He's convinced his mother is still alive and didn't leave him by choice despite any evidence to prove otherwise. We picked him up off the street when his mother was reported missing. We've had him with four different families this year, but no matter what he won't settle and he won't behave." He spoke matter-of-factly, as if such a thing were not unheard of. Ed remembered having no living parents, but then in Resembool there had been no question that Pinako would take them in and take care of them. The idea that this happened to kids bothered him. "We can't really lock him up. He hasn't hurt anyone and he's too young. But there's still only so much anyone can do when he won't cooperate."

"Can I see his file?" Ed asked, even though he wasn't entirely sure why. All he had originally come here to do was drop off a kid or find a way to take him home. He hadn't been expecting something this complicated.

Garvis looked at him a moment, then nodded and stood, going over to a filing cabinet and pulling out a folder. He came back and dropped it on the desk. "It's a sad story, but unfortunately these things happen."

Ed felt himself seething and crimped his temper, refusing to lose it with the officer who was just doing his job. It wasn't Garvis' fault. He picked up the file and opened it.

_Terrence Closson, age eleven, born April 17__th__, 1945 at Central Hospital to Gloria Closson. No father on record. Fifty-two inches tall and weighing sixty-five pounds at most recent checkup. _

Man, the kid was almost as much of a shrimp as Ed had been! Though if he'd been running away and trying to find his Mom on the streets, Ed wasn't surprised. He read through the rest of the file, looking at the list of foster homes, and the number of times the kid had gone missing or been reported. It was at least once every two weeks for the past year. The one thing Ed found rather suspicious; there was no reference to the kid's knowledge of alchemy. "So what will you do with him?" he finally asked.

Garvis sighed. "Well his last foster family has requested we place him elsewhere. They've had over a dozen kids over the years through there, and even they can't handle him."

"How long does it take to find another foster family?" he asked.

"For most kids, not more than a few days. For tough cases, sometimes a couple of weeks."

Now how the hell was he supposed to sleep tonight if he didn't do something about this? Ed couldn't imagine leaving the kid here. He'd have to sleep in a cell for sure and while Ed wasn't exactly big on criminal activity, he had a feeling the kid had his reasons. If only someone could find out what they were. It wasn't as if Ed hadn't broken into a few places – and taken a few things that weren't his – in his life. "I'll keep an eye on him," he offered before he even realized the words were out of his mouth. It was the right decision, he was sure of it. He just hoped Winry saw it that way.

Garvis looked stunned. "No offense, Fullmetal Alchemist…Sir… but are you sure?"

Ed smirked. "I train alchemists for a living and I'm pretty resourceful. Besides, my wife and I raised three kids. I think we can handle him." Last year, he couldn't have done it. Three years ago he suspected the state would have laughed in his face given the mess he'd been. Now, it actually felt good to watch a small look of relief cross the officer's face.

"If you want to, I won't say no, Sir," Garvis smiled, bewildered. "I have the authority to give you temporary custody of him until I can locate a family to place him with. There's some forms."

"Of course," Ed nodded. There was always paperwork.

It took about fifteen minutes to get everything squared away. "Thank you," Garvis shook Ed's hand when it was over. "We'll be in touch. I have no idea how you intend to keep him in line, but I hope you have better luck than our foster homes have. He's quite the escape artist."

"I do have some advantages most don't," Ed replied as they shook.

The boy was still sitting on the bench in the middle of a bustling room of officers when Ed came out again. He looked lonely and bored and a little nervous, though not nearly as much as Ed would have expected from most kids dragged into a police station. He supposed it was a sign of just how often the kid found himself in this position. He glanced up at Ed as he stopped next to him, but did not seem to be expecting acknowledgement, unless it was in the form of a lecture.

"All right, Terrence," Ed held out a hand. "Let's go."

Confusion filled the kid's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You're staying at my place for a little while," Ed replied easily.

Suspicion replaced confusion. "Why?"

"Because I offered and Officer Garvis agreed," Ed shrugged. There were plenty of other reasons, but he wasn't about to discuss them in the middle of the police station. "My wife should have dinner ready, and don't try to tell me you aren't starved."

The boy looked like he was about to, but he didn't. He seemed to be making up his mind about something. Finally he stood up. "All right, but call me Tore." He didn't take Ed's hand, but he did follow Ed out of the police station.

Tore? Well, Ed was happy to call the kid whatever name he preferred.

It was a forty-minute walk home from the station. Plenty of time, Ed figured, to get some information out of the kid. "Okay, Tore," he said when they were out of sight of the station. "Do you have any stuff?"

Tore looked momentarily startled, then nodded. "Yeah. I've got a few things. Can we go get them?" He looked unsure.

"That's why I asked," Ed pointed out with a chuckle. "I figured if you ran off you wouldn't leave anything important behind."

They walked back to where Ed had caught him first and he followed Tore into an alleyway, where he pulled a backpack out from under a pile of refuse. As Tore stood up, he made the break for it Ed had, frankly, been expecting.

One hand clap and four seconds later, Tore was neatly trapped in a concrete cage, his hands trapped against the bars to keep him from trying to sketch out any transmutation circles. "I wouldn't recommend any funny business," Ed grinned as he walked around in front of him. "Don't tell me you really thought you could get away."

Tore was gaping. "How'd you do that so fast?"

"That?" Ed shrugged, still smirking. "Any well trained alchemist can do that." It was true actually, as long as they had a pre-made transmutation circle; gloves, a pendant, just something that wasn't easily destroyed or wiped away. Even if they had to drop and draw a circle it wouldn't take more than another couple of seconds.

He watched Tore's face turn red. "My uncle couldn't."

Well that answered one question that had already been on Ed's mind. "So your uncle taught you alchemy?"

Immediately the boy realized he had given something away. His scowl deepened. "None of your business."

"Oh I think it is," Ed crossed his arms. "Let's get a few rules straight here and now. _I _know you're an alchemist even if the folks that you've been fostered with in the past didn't. You tried to swipe my wallet and cheated me out of over an hour of my time today. Let's call it an equivalent exchange that I want a few honest answers out of you. Fair?"

Tore glared at him a moment more before he exhaled and shrugged. "Fine," he conceded begrudgingly. "Yeah, my uncle taught me alchemy."

"Was he a State Alchemist?"

Tore shook his head. "Nah. He didn't really like the State. I dunno why. He said he never tried to take the Exam or anything."

So that was one potential lead that was probably a dead end. Still, it was useful information. An alchemist living in Central until last year. "Why'd he teach you?"

"I asked him to," Tore shrugged slightly; it was hard with his wrists wrapped in concrete and out in front of him. "Alchemy's neat and…and I wanted to try and find a way to help my Mom."

"She was sick right?" Ed spoke a little more gently as the kid's expression fell.

"Yeah," Tore nodded. "Real sick, though she wouldn't tell me how bad. She was in the hospital a few times, and we didn't have a lot of money for bills and stuff. Then one day I came home from school and… she just wasn't there."

The fight seemed to have gone out of him. Ed clapped his hands together and brought down the bars and released his arms. Tore didn't try and run again. "And your uncle?"

"He got kicked out of his apartment," Tore explained as he picked his bag back up. "I went over there and the landlady said he was gone too. He was drunk a lot and didn't go to work much. She kicked him out. Cops said he skipped town and it's a coincidence they vanished the same time."

"But you don't think so," Ed hazarded.

Tore shrugged. "Well they couldn't find anything and I couldn't either. I've tried."

There was an idea beginning to form in Ed's mind. He didn't like the idea that they had vanished right about the same time and the police had no trace of them. Especially not if the kid's uncle was an alchemist. "Well maybe we should try asking someone with more resources."

Tore looked up at him, startled. "What do you mean?"

Ed almost laughed. "I work for the State, kid. Who has a wider network of information?"

"They wouldn't look for my Mom would they?" This obviously had not occurred to Tore, though there was no reason why it should have.

Ed gestured for him to follow and started walking for home. As expected, Tore hurried to catch up, walking right beside him. Ed had the kid's undivided attention. "They will if I ask them to."

"And you'd do that?" Tore asked warily.

Ed didn't blame the boy for his skepticism. He shrugged. "I plan to."

They walked along in silence for a couple of minutes as Tore seemed to contemplate this new turn of events. Good, Ed wanted him thinking. There was something about the boy that he actually liked. If only he wasn't so disruptive. It would be a shame if he screwed up his life now when there was so much of it left.

As he expected, Tore finally had a response. "And that's it? You're not going to tell me I have to behave or you won't do it? No conditions?"

"Not for that," Ed shook his head. "I said I would do it and I mean to. Two people go missing and leave a kid abandoned. I don't like it. Even if the police didn't turn something up it sounds fishy to me; especially right here in Central. If we can find out what happened to your mom and your uncle we will. No, I'm going to ask you to behave because I just saved your ass from two weeks at the police station while they find you a new foster family."

Tore's expression became momentarily unreadable, but Ed got the distinct impression that having another family give up on him hurt the kid more than he would admit. "What's to say this'll be any better?" he countered.

Ed chuckled. "Just wait till you taste Winry's cooking. Besides, you toe the line and maybe you'll get a few lessons in alchemy out of it."

"You're kidding."

"Why would I?" Ed asked seriously, glancing over at him. "A partly-trained alchemist is often more dangerous than a fully trained one."

"How's that?" Tore snorted.

Ed held up his auto-mail arm, which was closest to the boy and the hand wasn't covered by the jacket. He didn't have gloves on today. "They're more tempted to try things they shouldn't because they think everyone else must have missed something. The thing is, there's always a price."

Tore didn't look too impressed. "There's different stories about how you lost your arm and leg. Some people say it was during a war in the East a long time ago. Others say it was because of dangerous alchemy."

"It was the latter," Ed admitted. "The older story was spread when I was still a kid to explain why I had auto-mail limbs and was in the military instead of in jail."

"So you really did pass the alchemy exam when you were twelve?"

"Don't they teach you kids anything?" Ed exclaimed, looking sideways at Tore, half kidding.

Tore looked slightly embarrassed as he looked away. "I haven't been to school much lately," he mumbled.

"Well that stops now," Ed snorted. "While you're staying with me, you'll be there, and you'll stay there and do what the teachers tell you. If not, I bet I can find you faster than even the police can. If you want to get anywhere, you've got to start trusting people a little more and let adults do their jobs too." Wow, now didn't this give him a feeling of déjà vu!

"Do you always lecture people?" Tore groused.

"It's what I do for a living," Ed reminded him. "When you prove that you're as smart as you seem to be, and responsible enough that you don't need to be treated like a troublemaker, then I'll stop."

Ed was beginning to wonder if anyone had been up front with this kid, or treated him like a person since his Mom left. Possibly not. He seemed so surprised by Ed's attitude. He just nodded and walked quietly the rest of the way back to the house. Ed didn't push.

When they arrived, Tore paused, looking up at the house for several seconds.

"Something wrong?" Ed asked with a small smile.

Tore shrugged then and tried to look casual. "It's bigger than the last place I stayed."

"Well come on in," Ed opened the door. "Welcome to the house."

They were met at the door by all three dogs. Pir went straight for Ed who pet him before making him sit, but Bounce and Daia accosted Tore immediately with curious noses. For a moment, Ed thought to wonder if he should have mentioned the dogs.

He needn't have worried. Tore paused a moment, then stuck a hand out for them to sniff. When they wagged their tails he started to pet them both. "Hi there," he grinned, apparently at ease with dogs. "Wow you're friendly."

"They know who they can trust," Ed commented, ruffling Daia's head before moving on into the house. "Come on in and meet everyone." Not that Ed was actually sure who was home at the moment.

It turned out to be Winry and Ethan. Ren was still out with Will – no surprise.

"So who's our guest?" Winry asked with a bemused expression on her face when they came into the living room. She and Ethan were sitting across from each other playing a card game.

"This is Tore," Ed introduced the boy. "He's going to be staying with us for a little while. Tore, this is my wife, Winry, and my son, Ethan." He waited to see what the boy would do. He was impressed with how well Winry hid her surprise at that announcement.

Tore looked awkwardly at them both for a second, then bowed his head slightly. "Hello, Mrs. Elric… Ethan," he seemed to spend a moment trying to decide if he needed to give Ethan a respectful adult title or not.

Ethan grinned. "Hey there. You've got good timing. Dinner's almost ready."

"Speaking of which," Winry stood and smiled. "I should check on it. Edward, would you help me with the roast?"

Which really meant _would you please explain to me why we have a strange boy staying with us?_ Ed nodded. "Sure. Get comfortable," he smiled at Tore before following Winry into the kitchen. Tore would be fine –and maybe more comfortable with- Ethan.

"What's going on?" Winry asked Ed softly as soon as they were out of earshot of the living room. "Not that I mind you bringing home a guest, but why is he staying with us?"

Briefly Ed relayed the story; what had happened, and what he'd managed to find out about the boy. "I just couldn't leave him at the station, Winry. Not after all that. I don't think he's a bad kid, I just think he got a raw deal. Besides, who else could handle an alchemist?"

"Did I say he couldn't stay?" Winry smiled at him with some amusement. "You don't have to convince me, Ed. I couldn't have left him there either. Besides, he wouldn't be the first troublesome boy I've handled."

Ed smirked. He knew exactly who she meant. "Yeah, I know. I have to admit, the mystery intrigues me too. His sick mother vanishes and his uncle in the same day, his uncle's an alchemist who apparently doesn't like the State but lives in Central."

"Taking it to investigations?" Winry grinned.

"How'd you know?" Ed asked.

"I know you," Winry pointed out as she tested the meat to see if the juices were flowing clear. "There's a lot about this boy that reminds me of you, and you've always been a softie for kids. Especially those with tough lives. I also think you're right that the story sounds fishy, and that if he's an alchemist than you or another trained alchemist is going to be one of the few things that may keep him in one spot. So we have him for two weeks?"

"That's what Officer Garvis said," Ed confirmed as he watched her test the roasted vegetables next. "Though he sounded doubtful. I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being longer."

Winry paused and looked up at him softly. "You don't want to let them put him in another home do you?"

Ed ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. Not really. I have no idea if anything was wrong with them. Probably not. But there's a reason this kid's not staying put, and I think until he knows what happened to his mother he won't be able to move on." He'd had enough trouble as it was. If Ed had thought his mother might be alive somewhere, he knew he would have searched for her till the end of time.

"Well we'll see what comes of it," Winry shrugged. "Maybe we can at least help him realize that he's not as alone as he thinks he is."

* * *

Ethan watched the kid as he looked around the room, then sat down awkwardly on the couch. "So, you play cards?" he offered.

Tore eyed him. "Yeah, sure. Doesn't everybody?"

"Fair enough," Ethan chuckled, not feeling offended. Actually he was extremely curious. If his Dad had brought the kid home, there had to be a good reason. He began to shuffle. "You want to play?"

The kid shrugged. "I guess."

"Well it's that or we can sit here trying to make lame small talk," Ethan pointed out, joking a little. He hoped it would help the kid relax. He looked like he expected to get yelled at or scolded or something at any second.

Tore gave him an appraising look, and smirked. "Cards is good."

Ethan dealt a hand and for several minutes they played in relative quiet.

Finally, the kid spoke up. "So, you think your Mom'll let me stay?"

"Well sure," Ethan said looking up. "If Dad invited you she won't say no."

"Invited," Tore snorted. "More like hijacked."

Ethan shrugged. "You didn't look like you were fighting too hard." Of course, Dad would have no trouble with a skinny little kid like this one.

"That didn't work well," Tore commented vaguely.

Ethan chuckled. "I can imagine. There's only a handful of people in Amestris that have a chance of really beating him."

Tore eyed him over his cards. "Yeah I figured. You an alchemist too?"

Ethan nodded. "Alchemist yes; but not with the State. I'm studying medicine."

He found it interesting when the kids eyes lit up immediately. "Medicine with alchemy? You can heal people and stuff?"

"Some, though I'm trying to learn more," Ethan nodded, keeping to the topic since the kid seemed interested. "Are you an alchemist?"

"Sort of," Tore shrugged. "I don't know very much."

"But there's someone you'd like to help?" Ethan hazarded a guess.

"My mom was really sick before she… disappeared," the boy admitted. "I wanted to make her better, but I can't do anything even close to that yet. And now I can't even find her."

Ethan was beginning to understand exactly what his father found so interesting about the boy that he would bring him home. "What about your Dad?" he asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer if the kid wasn't with him.

Tore sighed, discarding a card and pulling another. "He's dead," he admitted quietly. "He was a soldier. He died when I was little; three I think. But before that he'd come and visit when he was around. Mom said once he was stationed at Southern Headquarters so he wasn't in Central a lot."

"So why does your birth record not list him?"

Ethan looked up to see his father standing in the kitchen doorway. The question wasn't accusing, just curious.

Tore looked like he was trying determinedly to keep himself from crying. He stared at his cards. "Cause they weren't married. My uncle said Mom didn't know when I was born if Dad would want me. She didn't tell him until he came to visit again the next time he was in Central and I was already here."

"Do you know his name?" Ed asked softly.

Tore shook his head. "I know I'm named after him, but I don't know his last name. What's it matter?"

"It might be useful for Investigations in finding out what happened to your mother," Ed replied frankly, but not unkindly. He came into the room and sat down in the easy chair. "I don't suppose you have a picture of your Mom or your Dad?"

"Sure I do!" Tore nearly dropped his cards as he reached for the ratty backpack on the floor. He fished through it and pulled out a small picture frame. "It's the only picture Mom had of Dad. She said someone took it one day in the park. Will it help?"

Ah. Ethan watched his Dad take the picture with one hand and look at it. "It's a much better lead than nothing," Ed nodded, then let go. Tore's hand never left the frame. "Do you mind if we leave it with the Investigations office? I have friends there so I promise they'll take good care of it and give it back."

Tore hesitated as he tucked it carefully back in the bag. "Yeah... I guess so. If it'll help find Mom."

"If anyone can find a missing person, they can," Ethan's mom commented positively as she came out and set the roast on the table. Of course, with Sciezka and Aunt Elicia both working in that office, Ethan knew that his parents could make those promises and they would be kept. "Let's eat boys, and then we'll get your room ready, Tore. How does that sound?"

"Fine…ma'am," Tore said, standing and looking once more uncertain. "My room?"

"Well you don't expect to sleep on the couch for two weeks do you?" Winry chuckled. "Ethan has the downstairs room and Ren, who you'll meet later, is staying in the guest room while she's in town. She's our niece or well, will be in a few months. We have a bedroom upstairs that isn't being used. It used to be Ethan's room when his brother and sister were still at home too, so you're welcome to it."

"All right."

They all sat down at the table, and Ethan watched the boy sit down across from him. He just kind of sat and watched as the family began to fill their plates.

"Well, go ahead," Ed nodded towards the food and stuck a serving fork in Tore's direction. "Take as much as you want."

Once more, the kid looked surprised. Then when he seemed to realize that Ed wasn't joking he tentatively reached out and took a couple of slices of beef roast and some carrots and potatoes and a big slice of buttered bread. After another moment of hesitation, he began eating, and seemed encouraged when no one else said anything. After a minute of pretending to politely nibble, he dug in with the hunger Ethan had been sure was there. His father seemed unsurprised about that too.

When dinner was over, Ethan did the dishes while his Mom set up his old bedroom for the kid, pulling out sheets and pillows as matter-of-factly as she did for any guest while Ed showed him where the room was, the bathroom, and introduced him briefly to Ren and Will when his cousin brought Ren back. Again, he just introduced the kid as a guest, though Winry had explained to Ethan in a private moment what his Dad had told her. Knowing a little of his background, Ethan definitely understood why his Dad didn't want to let the kid out of his sight. Not just yet!

When he finally crashed for the evening, Ethan wondered what the kid thought of them, and if they'd be able to really do something to help him out. He hoped so.

* * *

Tore lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling with an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach and in his head. It wasn't that it was a strange bedroom. He had spent enough time sleeping in strange places. Actually, it was very possibly the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in.

What felt strange was knowing where he was, who with, and how very much his life had shifted since he woke up that morning. The last thing he expected trying to get a little money to buy something to eat was to end up caught, let alone by the Fullmetal Alchemist. And now suddenly he was staying at the man's house for two weeks! Tore just wasn't sure what to make of the development.

Really, he wasn't sure what to make of the Elrics. The Fullmetal Alchemist was a living legend, hardly flawless, but incredibly talented and nearly impossible to beat. Even with as little as Tore knew, he knew that much. He figured too much in recent history as a war hero and, most importantly, a hero to the people. He had told Tore today he would talk to military investigations about trying to find his mother having just barely met him. As skeptical as Tore was about trusting anyone, he just couldn't quite bring himself to disbelieve when _Edward Elric_ had promised to do something. He hadn't said they would find his mother, but Tore knew that the military was much more likely to be able to than he was with his limited resources and after a year of fruitless searching in Central.

Then there was Mrs. Elric. Tore had very mixed feelings about her. She was nice, and sincere, and warm, and reminded him in many ways of his own mother. Maybe that was because she was a mother, but so were the other foster-moms he'd had, and none of them _felt_ like his mother. He knew Fullmetal had to have told her about Tore's trying to steal his wallet and the trip to the police station, but that hadn't made her any less friendly. Tore liked to think he was pretty good at reading people. She didn't _try_ to be nice to him, she just seemed to really be that nice. Her food was also incredible! It had been such a relief not just to have a meal, but to be told to take as much as he wanted and not scolded for wolfing down his food. The Elrics all had good manners but they weren't stuffy about it. It had been nice to go to bed with a full stomach.

Ethan was just kind of neat. He'd only asked a few questions in general conversation, answered anything Tore had asked, and seemed perfectly happy to just play cards if Tore didn't want to talk. Ren – he hadn't expected her to be Xingese! – and Will had been happy to meet him. Tore had noticed that Fullmetal didn't introduce him as a troublemaker, just a guest, and they had just accepted it without question.

He knew he couldn't judge people in one evening, but they seemed genuine. He had gotten a lot of experience learning to deal with new families in the last year. Fullmetal had made it clear there were rules and he had no problem doling out justice if rules weren't followed. He could be bluffing, but Tore wasn't willing to place bets on it. Mrs. Elric seemed kind and fair, but capable of being just as firm. Ethan had treated him like a visiting relative maybe; not a brother, but than Tore would have found that annoying. He didn't like it when people pretended to be like family or tried to be when they weren't. He _really_ hated it when people tried to pretend they understood.

They hadn't done any of that. Already this was better than any of his foster families, at least in his estimation. A chance at finding his mother, a good meal, and he couldn't help but wonder if Fullmetal had really meant what he'd said about teaching him more alchemy. Why would he do that? Tore wasn't sure, but he wouldn't turn down the offer if he'd meant it! He'd do anything to learn more. To learn _real _alchemy; not the few little tricks his uncle had taught him.

A full stomach and a full mind really didn't make for easy rest. Tore rolled over and looked at the wall across from him. This had been Ethan's room several years ago, though there were few signs of it. It seemed to have been mostly unused for some time, though he had noticed it was kept clean. There was a closet door – he had already explored the closet before lying down – and a desk. The room seemed to be a miscellaneous catch-all for the moment; wrapping for gifts, boxes of old children's toys and clothes long outgrown but still treasured, various knick-knacks, a sewing machine, a box of old letters that he decided it might be better not to read through.

This house was not only bigger than the tiny apartment he had shared with his mother – or his uncle's apartment – but it clearly contained a lot of happy memories belonging to a large family. Ethan had a brother and sister who were both grown with kids – there were tons of pictures downstairs – and an uncle (he knew who the True Soul Alchemist was too) and aunt and cousins. Tore knew of only his Mom, his uncle, and his Dad, though he knew almost nothing about his Dad's family or if he really had any.

Tears dripped on the pillow and Tore quashed them hard. He was eleven, he shouldn't be crying! Besides, he would find his mother, and then he wouldn't have to deal with foster families or being on the street or any of that anymore. He'd do whatever it took to make that a reality.

Assuming he had enough freedom to do so. If this turned out to be less great than it looked – and all places did, he had found – than he would just have to duck out of here too; oddly though that thought didn't sit quite right with him this time.

Still, there had never been a place Tore couldn't get out of. He wondered if he _could_ get out of this house if he really wanted to.


	4. Chapter 4

**December 20****th****, 1956**

Edward was expecting the disgruntled look on Tore's face when the boy came down the stairs for breakfast the next morning. He was grateful it was a Saturday actually; it gave him a couple of days to let Tore settle in before Ed had work and Tore would be going back to school.

"Alchemy doesn't work in that room," Tore exclaimed as he looked at Ed who was sitting at the table. Winry, Ethan, and Ren were just joining them. It had been Ed's morning to cook.

"And just what were you trying to do alchemy for?" Ed asked conversationally. _Of_ _course_ alchemy didn't work in that bedroom. He had hidden a small alchemy-canceling circle tucked up under the bed mattress that would reach the extent of the room. He had trusted that Bounce's territorial nature would be enough of an alarm if the kid actually tried to go anywhere.

Tore's face flushed briefly. "Oh… nothing really." He sat down with the rest of them, dressed in one of the outfits Winry had fished out of old boxes last night. The kid hadn't grabbed much clothing when he ran off the last time apparently, and what he had was dirty and worn. Winry had found some of Ethan's cast-offs from about that age and they looked like they fit pretty well.

"It's all right," Ed grinned. "If I were you I'd have tried to get out too, just to see if I could."

He'd surprised the boy again. "You would?"

"Well sure," Ed shrugged, putting eggs on his plate. "It's a challenge right? And I never did like being penned up someplace; kind of hard to resist."

Tore looked thoughtful. "I guess so."

Ed let the subject drop as he finished filling his plate and passed the food on around. He noticed that this morning the boy didn't hesitate to heap the food a little higher on his plate.

"So what are today's plans?" Winry asked Ren curiously.

"We have one more place we want to look at before making a decision on the wedding location," Ren smiled, pausing between bites. "So that's this morning, then we're meeting up with some of Will's friends for lunch and then Alyse and Will's mother and I are going to look at more dresses this afternoon."

Ed understood that Will and Ren would be too busy much in the next year to do this while traveling, but it was still amusing to him to watch how much effort was going into planning this wedding. Of course, it was going to be an international affair no matter how much they tried to keep it reasonable, so he supposed that was all right.

"Have fun with that," Ethan chuckled. "I promised Doctor Gray a few hours over at the hospital. She said she has a few patients who could use some attention."

"Spending the day with patients instead of Lia?" Ed asked, arching one eyebrow. His son had been conspicuously out of the house most of the visit home, and assuredly in the presence of his girlfriend for the majority of it.

"Only part of it," Ethan chuckled, though he looked briefly embarrassed. "She didn't tell me what she was going to do with most of the day, but I promised her dinner at this place she likes."

Ren chuckled. "I invited her to join us on the dress hunt. She was really excited about it."

"Oh."

Ed tried not to laugh as his son's ears turned pink. It was just safer to keep eating his breakfast.

* * *

When the meal was over Ren and Ethan both headed out. Ed helped with the dishes and then, when they were done Winry looked contemplatively at Ed and Tore. "You know, the yard could really use some work."

"And what will you be doing?" Ed asked, teasing really. He didn't mind, but he was curious what Winry had in mind.

Winry looked apologetic. "I promised a finished piece to a customer Monday."

Ed knew she felt guilty about working on a Saturday. It was something they both tried not to do too often. Time spent together was definitely usually better spent. He smiled reassuringly. "Get that finished first and don't worry about the yard. I've got it."

Winry hugged him. "Thank you. It won't take more than a couple of hours."

Ed watched Winry head upstairs to change into her overalls then turned to Tore. "So, you want to help me with a little yard work?"

Tore snorted and shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice," Ed pointed out. "Whether you make a smart decision or not is always up to you."

Tore sighed. "Yeah, I'll help. What do we need to do? It's not really growing season."

"No it's not," Ed agreed as he headed into the kitchen to grab gardening gloves. "But it needs to be ready for spring. There's not a whole lot to do actually. There are a few leaves out there that need raking, and we should check the beds for any dead weeds and trim back the perennials that need it." For all that he had never farmed in Resembool, Ed had learned a decent amount about plants over the years, starting in his mother's garden.

Tore gave him a mildly lost look that said louder than words _city kid. _

So Ed gave Tore a quick lesson in horticulture. Ed was nice and handed the kid the rake for the leaves in the yard while he got down and pulled the weeds himself.

"Why don't you just use alchemy for this?" Tore asked after about ten minutes. "It would be easy right?"

Ed shrugged as he bagged a handful of weeds. "My alchemy teacher always said that alchemy should only be used when necessary; when another tool won't do the job, because that's what it is. That, and if you use alchemy for things that don't need it, you come to rely on it and then when you have a situation where you can't transmute something – other people might get hurt, lack of time to get it off, or for some reason you're blocked," he smirked slightly, "Then you're not as used to thinking on your feet."

"So you're pulling weeds by hand because your alchemy teacher told you to?" Tore asked incredulously.

Ed chuckled. "Exactly." He was rather amused that even this had turned into an impromptu alchemy lesson. He hadn't had moments like this since Sara and Ethan were young and he found that he was enjoying it. "So, any other questions?"

Tore didn't say anything immediately, but Ed heard the rake keep going behind him. Finally a wary voice asked, "Did you really bring me here just because you want to know why my Mom and uncle left? Or do you just feel sorry for me?"

"Who said I feel sorry for you?" Ed asked. Okay so it wasn't a real answer. He wanted to see where the kid took this.

"You said you didn't like how I got left like that," Tore explained his logic. "And all my foster parents feel sorry for me."

It gave Ed an opening he had been hoping would come up. "Did they? Is that a problem?"

"I guess not," Tore admitted, sounding dejected. "But it was annoying. The first house, it was a couple with no kids, and the wife always called me _poor boy_ and kept trying to be my mother. She even tried to cut my meat!" The last was delivered with a gasp of exasperation. "I was ten years old. They always seemed to pity me and want to make it all okay, and they didn't understand why I wanted to try and find _my_ mother." He huffed. "She was nice, but she wasn't anything like my mother and her husband couldn't decide how strict he was supposed to be."

Ed could see how that hadn't worked out, especially not if it was right after his mother had disappeared. "What about the others?"

Unsurprisingly, that was all it took. As Ed suspected, Tore had wanted to get his frustrations off his chest for a long time, and certainly no one at the police department or the foster families themselves had listened. He heard all about how the second family was an experienced family with several foster kids at once, and that hadn't been any more enjoyable. Tore had felt crowded after living with just his mother his whole life, and it had been far too easy to sneak away, even just to get privacy.

The third home had been more balanced, but Ed learned quickly they had not listened to a thing Tore said, trying to give him more structure and telling him he would move on and get over the loss. The fourth –and most recent- had been the one that Ed could see being the worst for a kid like Tore. By then labeled a troublemaker and escape artist, they had been very strict, and expected perfect manners and every rule to be followed in the house including a lot of very anal things that Ed wasn't sure _he_ would have been able to follow without chafing. None of them sounded like bad people or families; just poor matches for the kid in question.

"You're the first one who understands how important what I've got to do is," Tore admitted with a sigh when he was done. He had stopped raking and was leaning against the handle but Ed didn't scold. He had finished the weeding and was listening.

Ed waved him over to the steps of the porch to sit where it was more comfortable. Tore willingly dropped the rake and complied. "Well a lot of people don't appreciate how hard it is to take on a task that's hard for adults at the age of eleven."

"And you do?" Tore didn't quite scoff as he sat down next to him. "I mean, I know you made State Alchemist at twelve but…"

Ed smirked. "When I was eleven I was already in the middle of auto-mail recovery therapy." He flexed his arm, which barely made a sound save for the clicking of properly working mechanical parts. "When my brother and I were kids, my Dad left us when we were little, and it was just my Mom raising us out in the country. Well, she got really sick but she never told me or Al about it. She didn't want us to worry. So when it got too bad for us to do anything, we had to watch her die." He spoke softly, but it was just a story now; a memory that still ached but was no longer an open wound.

Tore's eyes were wide. "I hope my Mom's alive," he admitted quietly.

"So do I," Ed replied. "The fact that she isn't reported dead is a good thing."

"So what happened when your Mom died?" Tore asked after several long moments.

Ed leaned back against the steps. "Al and I swore we were going to bring Mom back. We had access to all of my Dad's books and lab – he was a master alchemist – and we had been teaching ourselves. So we decided to learn more and try human transmutation; convinced we could do it ourselves."

"Bu…but that makes homunculi!" Tore gasped.

"So you do know something," Ed smiled. "Yes, it does. That's common knowledge among most alchemists now, but no one really knew it at the time and we were kids. We had no idea _why_ it was forbidden and, like fools, we were convinced we could figure out where they had failed."

Tore seemed to understand where this was going without Ed having to tell the rest of the story. "You… so that's how you lost your arm and leg!"

"My leg for my mother, my arm to save my little brother," Ed finished it up. "Alphonse spent four years as a soul attached to a suit of armor. It took a lot to get his body back. After that, well I'd be surprised if a lot of the rest of it wasn't common knowledge."

Tore nodded and thought hard as if he was trying to remember. "Something about you being in a different world for a while, then the attack on Central and Liore, and your brother going back with you. Then you came back years later."

"Simplified, but true." It was enough to know for now. "Before that though, you know I joined the State. I did that to try and get Al his body back, and my limbs if I could. That's what sent us looking for the Philosopher's Stone and led to the whole mess that overthrew Bradley." He didn't say anything about knowing what it was like to lose a mother or deal with hardship; the story was clear enough without trying to obviously tack the moral on at the end.

Tore looked thoughtful now. That was good in Ed's estimation. The kid was proving he had brains and could actually use them. "So you don't think it's dumb that I want to find my Mom and learn alchemy even though I'm only eleven." It was almost as if a light had gone on in his head.

Ed had to try very hard not to laugh. He didn't want to be misunderstood. "Of course I don't. I was five the first time I cracked an alchemy book and Al and I were doing basic stuff within a year. Sara was ten when I started teaching her alchemy and Ethan was eight. I've just always been glad to give my kids something Al and Winry and I never had, and that's being able to grow up with parents."

"Mrs. Elric didn't have parents?" Tore looked even more surprised.

Ed didn't explain the _full_ story. That wasn't necessary. "They were killed in the Ishbal Massacre. They were doctors. Granny Pinako raised her and was the one who taught her how to work with auto-mail."

"But you…you all seem so happy."

"It's possible to live and be happy even when difficult things happen," Ed replied patiently. It was a good reminder for him as well as a lesson for someone who clearly needed to hear it. "You just have to want it bad enough and learn how to tell when you've done your best and all you can do."

Tore got quiet again, and Ed got the feeling it was time to give the kid a little reprieve so he could absorb everything they had covered. "Hey, I'm thirsty. You want some lemonade?"

"Sure," Tore nodded absently, and Ed stood up and went inside, leaving the boy sitting on the deck stairs.

Ed purposefully took his time, giving the kid the opportunity to deal with having a lot thrown at him at once. This had to be pretty overwhelming, though Tore was taking it as well as Ed probably should have expected. He and Al had been a lot like this kid. He poured them both large glasses before heading back out, glad for the unseasonably warm weather the last couple of days.

"Thanks." Tore took the glass and drained half of it in one long gulp. "Can I ask you something else?"

"You just did," Ed pointed out lightly. "Sure, go ahead."

Tore hesitated again, looking hopeful but doubtful at the same time. "You said something on the way here yesterday about maybe teaching me a little alchemy. Did you mean that too?"

He had been listening all right. Ed nodded. "If you prove to me you can be responsible and follow the rules, than yes, for however long you're here."

Tore looked excited, but then his face fell. "That won't be long though, will it? I mean, it's just till they find me another foster home to stick me in."

"Who knows," Ed shrugged. "They might let you keep training with me if you prove to _them_ you can be something other than trouble." If it kept the kid in line he would definitely consider offering. "For now, show me this week you're _not_ the kid in those records and we'll start next weekend."

Tore got the message. He sighed but nodded. "I can do that."

For the kid's sake, Ed hoped he could do it.

**December 22****nd****, 1956**

Before his mother disappeared Tore had enjoyed school. He liked learning and most subjects came easy to him. He'd had friends too. The last year had been difficult. After he got assigned to his first foster family, some of the kids at school had started taunting and picking on him. Not all of them, but he'd gotten in trouble when it turned into fights. He wasn't going to let them talk badly about him or his mother! There had been more important things than school at that point. Tore had been completely focused on finding his mother; sure she had to be in the city somewhere, maybe in the hospital. But time passed, and he had skipped school searching and found nothing. His uncle had never shown up again earlier.

Things had not improved with subsequent families – or schools. His records labeled him trouble when he transferred and so trouble seemed to follow. Not that he cared after a while; he spent very little time there. It limited the misery.

Today however, he was going back again and he had motivation for going, staying, and getting back down to the business of learning his lessons. For however long it lasted, if he proved himself he would get alchemy lessons from the Fullmetal Alchemist himself. No matter how the situation had come about he wasn't about to miss out on that opportunity! Especially not if Fullmetal actually got Investigations looking for his Mom like he had promised.

The day turned out to be surprisingly non-eventful despite the fact that Tore knew some of the kids at the local middle school, which took the kids from several of the local elementary schools, including two he had attended before this year – which he had actually never attended. Fullmetal had not been pleased to hear that, but Tore had assured him it wouldn't happen again. They had gone to the office first and gotten him actually enrolled.

His classes turned out to be moderately interesting, and while Tore had missed a lot, he found he was able to catch on pretty quickly in most subjects. He had decent writing skills, history was something that interested him most of the time, and even mathematics he could make a lot of the jumps he had missed relatively intuitively, though he could already tell he could use some help there.

By the end of the day, with no disasters and no troubles, Tore was feeling pretty good. He was actually glad that Mrs. Elric had left several sets of Ethan's old clothing in the room he was staying in so he didn't have to wear the ragged remnants from his pack. She had dug out one of her sons' old bags for him to use for school as well.

"So how did it go?" Fullmetal asked when Tore met him outside the school that afternoon. He was there with the car.

Tore dropped his bag in the floorboard and got in. "Pretty well," he admitted with a shrug. "There's a history test on Friday and a composition paper due then too. Every class has homework except physical education."

Fullmetal nodded, looking pleased. He would! "Sounds like you'll be busy this week."

"Yeah," Tore sighed as he buckled in and leaned back in the seat. "So, where are we going?"

Fullmetal pulled the car away from the curb. "Back to Headquarters," he replied. "I'm done with classes for the day, but Investigations is going to want to talk to you. After all, you know your mom and your uncle better than anyone else probably does."

Tore was surprised. He hadn't expected to actually get to go to Central HQ, let alone talk to the Investigations officers himself. "Okay." He didn't say anything else; he didn't want to look like a dumb kid by _acting _surprised. He would just have to wait and see what happened.

* * *

Edward headed straight to the Investigations office when he and Tore arrived. When they walked in the place was relatively quiet, unsurprising in the late afternoon when it was almost the end of the day.

Sciezka looked up from her desk, refocused as she got her mind off her task, and smiled at them both. "Edward! To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" She looked over at Tore and smiled at him too.

"I've got a lost person I'd like you to try and locate," Ed said without preamble, though he smiled back at his friend. "Though it's not quite that simple."

"Nothing ever is with you," Elicia chuckled, coming out of the supply room with a stack of papers in hand. "Hello Tore," she addressed the kid directly.

"Hello ma'am," Tore reddened slightly but Ed thought he was glad to be recognized as a part of this instead of just ignored.

Sciezka's eyes lit up and Ed was sure she had just put the boy to the name. Surely Winry had mentioned Tore to her friends. "So who are we trying to locate," she asked, coming around to the front area and getting down to business.

"We're looking for Gloria Closson," Ed replied, pulling out the picture that Tore had warily allowed him to hold on to today, not knowing he'd be coming here this afternoon as well. "Tore's mother went missing about a year ago with no reported appearance in Central since, but not in any hospitals either or a death record. She was chronically ill."

Sciezka took the photo from him and Ed noticed Tore tense but hold himself back. Another good lesson in the making. Elicia came around to look at it as well. "Is this her husband?"

"He's Tore's father," Ed clarified, letting the subtle inflection make it clear what he meant.

"I see," Sciezka replied. "Do we know who he is? Would he know where she might be?"

Tore shook his head and spoke up tentatively. "Mom said he died when I was little. He was killed on duty."

"He was a soldier out of South Headquarters," Ed picked up the story. "First name Terrence, but we don't have a last name to go on. Would have died about eight or nine years ago."

"We can definitely make a start off that," Sciezka nodded, her mind already obviously churning. "Especially with this picture to go off of."

"Anyone or anything else that might be useful?" Elicia asked, looking between them both expectantly.

Ed looked at Tore who nodded. "Yeah. My uncle disappeared the same day. He got kicked out of his apartment for not paying the rent. His name's Pierce Closson and he's an alchemist…not State or anything," he clarified. "The police couldn't find out what happened to him either."

Both women looked sharply at Ed, who nodded. "Yeah, it sounds suspicious doesn't it? You can get the case reports from the police. Missing persons gave up on it months ago. The kid's the only one who's been on the case since then."

"Well we'll definitely see what we can do," Elicia smiled reassuringly at Tore. "Do you mind if we ask you a few questions? I'm sure there's probably details in the police report, but it would be better to hear for ourselves what happened around the time your mother disappeared."

"Sure, I guess," Tore nodded, then his face set into a slightly more confident expression. "What do you need to know uhh… ma'am."

Ed realized then he hadn't actually introduced them properly. "Tore, this is Elicia Elric, my brother's wife, and Sciezka Falman. She's an old friend who's been working in Investigations for years." He kindly didn't say how many years, and the half-amused smirk Sciezka gave him told Ed she had noticed. Ed knew better than to talk about a woman's age!

Tore nodded to them both. "Nice to meet you," he said then with decent manners.

"Let's go find someplace quiet to talk," Elicia suggested, "Unless you would prefer to tell the story in public."

Tore looked around the office. There were still several people in the office even though they were mostly finishing up for the day. "That'd be good."

"Do you want to sit in on this, Edward?" Sciezka looked at him curiously.

"Only if Tore doesn't mind," Ed replied immediately. "This is his investigation after all."

"He can come," Tore nodded after a thoughtful moment.

Ed followed Sciezka and Elicia into one of the side offices with Tore. The questioning session covered a decent amount of what Ed had already learned from records and from what Tore had admitted over the weekend. He covered in detail though coming home from school to find his Mom missing, and waiting for a few hours before he realized she wasn't coming. Then going to his uncle's apartment and finding that he was gone as well. He reported the fact that they were missing to the police immediately, and had been immediately taken into protective custody while they looked for his mother. After a couple of weeks and no results, he was permanently assigned to the foster home he had supposed would be temporary.

Sciezka and Elicia were kind and did not make him detail the rest of his story. He had already told Ed a lot and was clearly reluctant to say more. "We'll see what we can find," Sciezka promised as Ed and Tore left over an hour later.

"Thank you." Tore was proving he could be polite when he wanted to be. Ed was glad for that much. The boy was quiet until they left the office. "How long do you think it'll take?" he asked Ed softly when they were a little ways down the hall.

Ed shrugged. "That depends. They'll probably double-check Central first and look up any information they can find on your mom, dad, and uncle just to see if there might be anything in family history that might be a clue as to where either of them might have gone."

"If it's after I go to a new foster home, you'll still tell me if you find out anything right?" Tore looked up at him anxiously.

"Of course I will," Ed smiled reassuringly. "This wouldn't be a very useful investigation if you didn't get the results."

Tore relaxed just a little. It had to have been difficult for him to tell his story to more strangers. The reassurances seemed to be something he needed a lot right now. Trust was something that would be slow in coming.

Half way back to the car Ed spotted two very familiar forms walking down the hallway at a slightly slower pace, talking intently. "I'm never sure whether to find it reassuring or troublesome when you two have your heads together."

Roy Mustang and Heymans Breda stopped walking and turned. Roy smirked and Breda chuckled. "Relax, Ed," Breda replied. "I'm off duty for the day. Politics is the last thing on my priority list for the moment."

Roy chuckled. "We were discussing dinner."

"The real priority," Ed chuckled.

Roy's eye lit on Tore. "So, is this the kid?"

Once again, information spread quickly. Riza usually knew things within a day or two from Winry, and by virtue of that anything important got to Roy. Ed watched Tore bristle slightly at being called _the kid._ "This is Tore Closson," Ed introduced him. "Tore, these are a couple of friends of mine, for what that's worth; Roy Mustang and Heymans Breda."

He had the satisfaction of watching Tore's eyes go round and big as plates as he clearly recognized both names.

Roy nodded. "So you _are_ the orphan alchemist."

Tore went from awed to angry in split second. "Watch who you're calling an orphan!" he growled.

"Easy, kid," Roy chuckled, reaching out and ruffling Tore's hair with one hand. Ed thought the boy might explode, but Roy bent over and smiled. "Relax. You're way too uptight."

"I _have_ a mother," Tore replied shortly. "I just have to find her."

Roy nodded. "You're sure of that aren't you?"

"We'll find out what happened to her!" Tore barked back. Ed bit his tongue and didn't interfere. It was interesting to watch this play out from the other side. "If she's alive I'm going to get her back."

Roy stood upright again. "You're tenacious I'll give you that. But then, most kids like you are."

"And how would you know that?" Any hesitation on Tore's part was gone as he glared up at Roy.

Roy shrugged then smiled knowingly. "Takes one to know one."

"Wha- what do you mean?" Tore's tirade cut off as he looked up at Roy in confusion.

"Family is who cares about you," Roy replied calmly. "There's no shame in being taken care of by a foster parent. I was."

It was something Ed had only heard about once or twice in the past. Roy rarely talked about anything before he joined the military. Obviously it surprised Tore as much as it had originally startled Ed. He was actually a little impressed that Roy was willing to share something sensitive with a kid he barely knew. "But…but you're the Flame Alchemist. You were President of the military! You were a foster kid?"

"I was," Roy nodded. "My foster mother was quite a lady I'll tell you. So don't let anyone tell you where you come from means anything other than what you want it to."

Tore seemed flummoxed as to how to respond. "I… okay."

Roy eyed him contemplatively. "Better watch this one Breda, and keep him away from your daughter."

Breda chuckled. "As long as he's nothing like you, Mustang, I'm sure he's harmless. Good luck with your investigation, Tore."

Tore was much more polite to Breda. "Thank you, Sir."

"So, Ed," Breda turned his attention to him. "You haven't forgotten about our plans for next week right?"

"Of course not," Ed replied. "As if we'd ever turn down a dinner invitation! You've got space for one more right?"

"There's always room at my table," Breda grinned.

"Until you sit down," Roy ribbed him.

"You can be uninvited," Breda smirked.

Roy looked wounded but it was obvious he was faking. "You hurt my feelings, old friend."

Ed chuckled and cut in. "Well we'll see you later. We need to get home. Winry's expecting us."

"See you later, Ed," Roy called as he and Breda kept walking, heading another direction.

Tore looked up at Ed as they walked away. "Is the Flame Alchemist always such an ass?"

Ed laughed. "Only to people he likes."

"Weird," Tore shook his head. "And what did he mean about the President's daughter?"

Ed wasn't sure whether to be more amused or relieved that the boy hadn't gotten the reference. "Charisa is eleven too. She goes to the same school you do now actually so you might see her around."

Tore looked perplexed. "No offense, but isn't President Breda a little old to have an eleven year old daughter?"

"Charisa and her little brother Niam are adopted," Ed explained.

A light seemed to go on in Tore's head. "I didn't know that."

"Obviously," Ed commented as they kept walking. "Their parents were killed in an avalanche when they were little. Niam was still a baby. My daughter Sara was assigned to the rescue teams. When she heard Breda and his wife were thinking about adopting she gave them a picture and told them about the kids." The rest of the story was pretty obvious.

It was interesting to watch this boy as his mind obviously turned. "He seems like a nice guy," Tore said finally. "I mean, how bad can being the President's kid be anyway? I guess they're pretty happy, huh?"

"You'll see for yourself," Ed grinned. "Breda's invited us over for dinner next week, but yes they're a very close family."

"And I never would have thought the Flame Alchemist was a foster kid," Tore shook his head.

"Raised in Central," Ed confirmed with a nod. "I don't know much about it, but it's true."

"Does anybody else around here have weird childhoods with missing parents I don't know about?" Tore asked after another minute, a lopsided smirk on his face.

The kid had a point. But then, Ed had noticed that a lot of people had pretty crazy childhoods that joined the military in Amestris or had ended up in Central. "Well you'd have to ask Roy's wife about her childhood and some of the others, but the only other one I can really think of would be Elicia, who you just met. Her father was killed when she was four."

"Killed?" Tore looked startled.

"Murdered by a homunculus." Ed didn't feel like going into it in detail. "If you've paid any attention to your history lessons about the removal of Fuhrer Bradley, you've probably heard of Brigadier General Maes Hughes."

Apparently Tore hadn't always been a lackluster student, because he nodded almost immediately. "Yeah. So he was her father?"

"Yep. He was a good officer and a great friend." Ed flashed the kid a grin. "But that's a pretty morbid topic isn't it? Yeah, a lot of us have had tough lives, especially as kids, but not all the stories turn out badly in the end."

Tore shrugged as they headed down the front steps. "I guess not."


	5. Chapter 5

**December 26****th****, 1956**

Over the next several days, Tore found himself quickly adjusting to the house's routine. In the morning everyone got up, got dressed for the day, ate breakfast and talked, and then went on their ways. They included him in general conversation, even explaining things when he seemed confused or asked a question, and he was regularly surprised by their candor. After school either Fullmetal or Mrs. Elric would pick him up and take him to Military Headquarters or to Rockbell Auto-Mail, where Tore was expected to sit and do his homework. When they got home there was dinner and any necessary family chores – which he was politely asked to help with and saying no just made him look stupid – and then the evening was pretty much his as long as he stayed in the house.

He gave up trying to leave – mostly just testing his options – after the third night. Two nights convinced him that, whatever Fullmetal had done, he had made it impossible to do alchemy inside the room Tore slept in and he wasn't brave enough to try it in a more open area of the house.

On the third night the dogs proved that getting out past them was likely impossible. He came out and was only a few steps down the hall before he heard the pup whimpering at the Elrics' bedroom door. When he barked once, Tore ducked into the bathroom, waited a minute, then flushed the toilet and went back to his room. He doubted he had fooled the Fullmetal Alchemist, but he just couldn't let it be obvious. He kind of felt guilty given how honestly nice they were; nice, but not pushy about it.

Friday afternoon turned out to be full of surprises.

"Tonight the family's coming over for dinner," Fullmetal informed him as they headed home that afternoon. "So I'd really appreciate it if you would help get the house ready."

The way he always phrased things as requests, Tore knew he technically could say no, but his mother had taught him better than that. In the houses where they had treated him like a kid and gave orders it had been easier to be surly and disagreeable or to say he didn't feel like doing something. Here, well if he didn't have anything better to be doing there seemed to be no opening for a good excuse. "Sure," Tore shrugged. "How many people are coming?" He'd met the True Soul Alchemist and Twilight Alchemist, and Will, and of course Elicia, but not any more of the extended family.

"Alphonse, Elicia, Gracia, Will, Alyse, Sara, Franz, and Trisha," Fullmetal rattled off the list of names. "Everyone who lives in town; we get together pretty regularly."

Tore sighed. "This is going to be a lot of work isn't it?"

"Life usually is," he replied matter-of-factly. "But it has its rewards for hard work you know. Tomorrow I figured we'd go ahead and start on those alchemy lessons."

"You mean it?" Tore blurted, suddenly much more excited about the idea! He'd been wondering for a few days if Fullmetal had forgotten, or was still waiting to decide if Tore _behaved_ well enough. Apparently whatever the criteria had been Tore met it and that was all that mattered. "Awesome!"

"I hope you think so after tomorrow," Fullmetal smirked though he did not elaborate on exactly what that meant. "Let's get through tonight first."

* * *

Edward watched Tore all through that evening, knowing it would be a test of a different sort for the boy. It had been clear from the first day that Tore was not fond of crowds of people in small spaces. Not that he had expected him to be after living with just his mother and then bouncing through several foster homes. Fortunately he had met several of the family members already this week and Ed hoped that would soften the experience.

Ed wasn't sure if he should be surprised when the hit of the night – as far as Tore connecting with someone – was Trisha. The two year old was as charming as Sara had been at that age, and Elicia too for that matter. Tore clearly found the little girl a non-threat, and like with most new people Ed's granddaughter latched on to the new boy immediately, declaring him 'cousin' since he was only a few years older than Coran and clearly not old enough to be 'uncle.' Perhaps it was her cuteness and easy acceptance of him, but Tore was clearly having a good time entertaining Trisha and he relaxed quickly.

"He's not so different from some other young boys I've known," Gracia commented with a chuckle as several of the adults worked on dinner in the kitchen.

"You mean all of them?" Winry asked, smiling. "He's certainly no more trouble than Edward ever was."

"I wasn't that much trouble," Ed objected, though he smiled as he said it. It was a token gesture anyway. He knew he really had been, despite how much he had tried to help his mother out as a child.

"You're still that much trouble," Winry smiled at him fondly as she chopped carrots with skilled precision. "Tore's a good boy. He's just had it rough recently. He hasn't been nearly as much trouble as the police claimed he would be or his records imply."

"That's partially because we're helping him get what he wants," Elicia pointed out. "The thing he wants most is to find his mother or at least what happened to her. Right now the new investigation is the only thing he's been able to put his hopes on in a while. I don't know how he'll feel if we don't turn up anything."

"Do you have anything so far?" Ed asked curiously. He had made a point of not being a pest about the investigation and had made it clear to Tore that the ladies would get their job done faster if they weren't constantly bugged. Tore had shown impressive restraint this week so far. Still, anything would be good.

"Not much," Elicia looked apologetic. "We can discuss it later with Tore."

Ed nodded. There was no reason to go over it twice. "I'm sure he'll be glad for anything you've got, Elicia. I really appreciate the effort you and Sciezka are putting into this."

"Oh come on, Edward," Elicia rolled her eyes, smiling. "You think we could do any less for a child looking for his family?"

Ed was kind and didn't tease her… this time. "No, I know better," he smiled. "This is very much in the family line of work." Whether it was finding mothers, trying to bring mother's back, or just helping out people who needed it in general, their entire family seemed unable to keep from helping someone in need especially where issues of family were involved.

"At least Ed didn't bring home another pregnant stray dog," Al chuckled.

Winry smiled gently. "I don't know. The boy eats like Ed and Ethan. I'm glad I'm used to cooking for growing boys or we'd be in trouble." From her tone it was clear she enjoyed it. Ed had already been feeling a little lonely knowing Ethan would be moving out permanently soon enough. Having a kid in the house the last several days – despite the fun with discipline at first and some of his attitude, or maybe because of those – had been surprisingly enjoyable.

Ed wondered if the boy actually liked it here as much as he seemed to, or if he was really just being polite because they were helping him out. He hoped that it was the former, though he understood the latter and had no real problem with that either.

* * *

When everyone was full and the dinner dishes done, Edward settled into the easy chair as Elicia sat down next to Tore on the couch. The rest of the family had made themselves scarce to other parts of the house or headed out so that the conversation could be reasonably private. Elicia brought out a small box and a thick folder filled with papers.

Tore looked hopeful. "Is that everything you've found?"

"So far," Elicia nodded. "I'm afraid a lot of what you're looking at is back story, not new leads, but it's information we needed to have that may give us what we need to figure out where to look next." She pulled out one sheaf of papers first. "This is what we were able to find on your father; MSG Terrence Rankin, stationed at Southern Headquarters. He was shot dealing with a gang situation in the slums outside of the city. It seems he wasn't very close to his family. The records show a grand-mother and a married sister, but they did not want to claim his personal affects."

"Is that what's in the box?" Ed asked, catching on.

Elicia nodded and set the box down on Tore's lap. "We had them ship it up immediately. We looked through it for any clues, but everything is still there. It belongs to you now."

Tore hesitated, then lifted the box lid. Slowly he began pulling out items. Naturally, uniforms and clothing weren't included, just personal items. There were a couple of books, a slightly dented but functional pocket-watch (_not_ the State Alchemist's watch), his military ID and rank insignia, a couple of medals, a handful of photographs, a pile of letters tied neatly together with string, and a small box. Ed watched Tore look at the photos; surprise on his face, then sorrow. He set them aside and picked up the letters. Even from his spot Ed could at least see that the top-most was addressed from a Gloria Closson in Central. After a moment he set them aside again. "Did you read these?" he asked softly.

Elicia looked apologetic. "It was part of the investigation, Tore. Only Sciezka and I looked at them though. They did help us put together a lot of the story though."

"All right," Tore nodded, accepting the answer even though he obviously didn't like the idea of someone reading what were likely love letters between his parents. "My…my mom had letters. But they were in the apartment."

"We looked into that too," Elicia replied. "All of your mother's belongings are in police storage marked for you when you have a permanent place to keep them. But you can look through them at any time."

This was obviously news to Tore. "I wish someone had told me that," he snorted. "Have you looked through that too?"

Elicia shook her head. "For that, because those are technically your possessions, we need your approval. If you don't mind, I was thinking perhaps you could come down and we could handle that tomorrow afternoon."

Tore nodded immediately. "Definitely."

All that remained was the small box. Tore looked momentarily confused, but Ed recognized it at once and knew Elicia did too. The boy opened it, and almost at once looked as if he wanted to cry, but was holding it back with all his might. He clearly recognized the ring inside for what it was. "Dad…"

"The last letter in the bundle is one he didn't get mailed," Elicia commented softly. "It says he finally got a transfer approved to Central."

Edward almost held his breath as he watched Tore absorb what that meant. Ed understood immediately. If he hadn't died, Rankin would have come to Central and probably married Tore's mother. At least an engagement ring certainly implied that intent.

The boy closed the box and set it down next to the pictures which, now that Ed could see them, were just as telling. A few were of the man who was clearly Tore's father and some of his army buddies, but there were a couple of Gloria, and one of them together. A little surprising, there were pictures of a child Ed could only assume was Tore as a baby; one shot of a newborn, and then as a dark-haired bright-eyed toddler.

"Why didn't your Mom move to South City?" Ed couldn't help asking quietly.

"She got sick around then," Tore replied. "And her doctors were here and my uncle who, at least then, still made decent money and helped out a lot. Mom couldn't travel. There were times when she couldn't really work either." He shrugged. "So that's Dad's story. Mom was right; he did love us." He actually smiled for a moment. "All right, what about Mom and Uncle Pierce?"

"So far we haven't uncovered much more than what you told us," Elicia admitted. "We know that your uncle hadn't paid his rent in nearly four months, and the police report says that the landlady talks about the mess the place was. Apparently it was full of empty bottles though not much else. He took basic amenities with him when he left and, apparently, whatever alchemical components and supplies he had, but left everything else including his mess."

Tore didn't look as upset by that as Ed might have expected. "The place was always a mess," he replied. "And…Mom?"

Elicia pulled out the last file. "From the reports, your mother had a cancer of some form, something the doctors couldn't entirely identify except for general type, and there's only so much that can be done for that though they did try to treat her. As we knew, there are no reports of her showing up in the hospital in Central around the time she disappeared, or any dead bodies found that fit that description, so whatever happened we are fairly certain she left Central alive even though we don't know why."

"Maybe we can find something in her stuff," Tore suggested hopefully, looking much more upset by talk of his mother, but hopeful too…in a slightly frantic way. It was the first straws of hope he'd had to grasp on to in months.

"That's my hope," Elicia smiled reassuringly. "I'm sorry it's not more."

"No it's a lot," Tore smiled at her. "Thank you, Ms. Elicia." That was what he had taken to calling her to differentiate her from _Mrs. Elric_, who was Winry. "I really appreciate all this."

"You're very welcome," Elicia replied. "Tomorrow the three of us will go down and see what else we can find."

"Three?" Tore looked over at Ed.

"They'll want your guardian there," Elicia pointed out. "For now, that's Edward."

Tore looked a little irritated but he nodded. "Okay." There wasn't much else he could do about it after all. At least he accepted the situation graciously. "I just hope there's something in there that will give us a real clue."

**December 27****th****, 1956**

_This_ was the Fullmetal Alchemist of legend that Tore had been expecting. His first day of alchemy training under him had already proven to be grueling and they hadn't done one bit of alchemy yet!

Fullmetal had dragged him out of bed at six in the morning for exercises. They had gone running and then he had been put through a rigorous series of calisthenics. "What does all of this have to do with alchemy again?" Tore panted as he dropped down in the grass in the back yard, only to be immediately mobbed by Pir who began licking him ferociously, tail wagging. "For the last time I am not a dog toy!"

Fullmetal smirked. "To train the mind you must also train the body. That's what my alchemy teacher told me and it's always held true in my experience. Consider it a lesson in self-discipline. Also, doing alchemy takes energy as well as knowledge and a fit alchemist is going to have the endurance for longer transmutations or larger ones."

Well at least there was a logical explanation for it that Tore couldn't refute. He gave Pir a firm –but not too hard- shove and finally the young dog backed up. "So what now?" he asked, trying not to look as wrung out as he felt. He was not going to look like a wimp!

"Now we cool down, catch our breath, and start the alchemy lesson," Edward – Tore tried to think of him by name and not just as the Fullmetal Alchemist. He wasn't just the legend after all, and it was less distracting, but it took real effort. At least he was getting to know him and where he stood with the man.

"Finally," Tore exclaimed, grinning. His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. "Does that plan include food?"

"Breakfast should be ready by the time we cool down," Edward promised as he dropped easily onto the grass and began to do a series of stretches.

Watching him, Tore joined in, doing his best to follow the form correctly. As he realized how good the stretches felt, he put his all into them and actually enjoyed it. He had always been active, but that was different from the concentrated work out he had just been put through. He felt tired, but also a little more alert and focused.

As promised, breakfast was ready when they came in and Tore was happy to dig in to a steaming stack of flapjacks covered in syrup, sausage, and eggs. That was one thing he really couldn't complain about here that had been an issue in a couple of his foster homes. The food was great and there was plenty of it! As long as he used general good manners, no one minded how much he ate or that he wasn't the neatest eater. Of course, having seen Fullmetal and Ethan eat, Tore suspected that it was just normal around here. Tore was definitely going to miss meal times around here when the police shuffled him off into a new foster home.

After breakfast Tore helped clear – it was only fair to do his part after eating great food – and then he went upstairs with Edward into the alchemy lab. "So what do we do first?" he asked excitedly.

"First, I want to go over everything you already know," Fullmetal sat down in one chair, and motioned for Tore to sit in the other. There was a book lying on the desk. "Are you familiar with this?"

Tore picked up the book; Basics of Alchemy. He nodded. "Yeah. Uncle Pierce had a copy. I didn't get a chance to look at it much though. He always said it was too hard a read for kids."

Edward snorted. "Al and I were working through that thing when we weren't older than six. But I guess it'll be best if you show me what you know and then we'll hit the book."

They spent half an hour going over what Tore did and did not know about alchemy; yes he had heard of equivalent exchange and generally understood the principle. He also knew that alchemy was supposed to be used for the people, not just for selfish reasons, and not to hurt people – combat situations notwithstanding. He knew how to draw a basic circle, which he demonstrated, and he did a couple of very simple transmutations, showing how he'd _unraveled_ fabric before using alchemy – like he had failed to do on the Fullmetal Alchemist's pocket going for his wallet. He was also asked to make a couple of other things that came out, in his mind, pathetic – like a toy horse that he thought looked more like a lump with feet and a head. Of course, Tore didn't know much about horses. He'd never seen one up close.

Still, Edward looked reasonably pleased. He quizzed Tore on elements and such and there Tore found himself woefully lacking. Most of what he could do so far was instinctive and less a detailed understanding.

When they were finished, Edward nodded. "Not bad, kid. How long have you been learning?"

"A couple of years." Tore hated to admit how little he had learned in that amount of time. "Just whenever my uncle would let me have a lesson."

"Well then let's see what you can do with no one holding you back," Edward smirked, handing over the book. "Review chapter one, though most of it should be familiar, and read chapter two. As soon as you get through them both and think you understand the concepts we'll do another session. You do seem to have a talent for alchemy."

Tore could barely believe what he was hearing. He took a hold of the book and flipped it open. "You mean if I can get through this by tomorrow we can do more?"

Fullmetal chuckled. "Yes, that's what I mean. If you've got any questions I'm happy to answer them, or Ethan can too. We'll go as fast as you can learn the material properly."

Tore grinned. "I'm holding you to that." If he only had a week left, he was going to take advantage of every moment!

**January 1****st****, 1957 **

Winry and Edward opted out of the annual New Year's Eve party at the Officer's club for a quiet night at home. While they were sure Tore probably would have behaved himself it might have been a little overwhelming and it really wasn't a kids' party. That was fine with them however. It was just the three of them in the house that night. All of the younger generation was out celebrating and Tore had devoured the first two chapters of the alchemy book and he and Ed spent most of the evening working on circles and covering all of the proper theory behind transmutations.

It was a peaceful evening. The next day for most of the day was the same. Winry wasn't entirely sure what time Ren and Ethan came back to the house; they and Will and Lia had all gone out somewhere with friends. It must have been a late night because even though Winry had no doubt that none of them had _partied_ heavily, Ethan still slept till almost noon.

"We came home around four," Ren informed her with a tired smile when she came downstairs at about ten, wrapped in a red-and-gold silken robe.

"Did you have a good time?" Winry asked even though she was sure she knew the answer.

Ren chuckled. "It was a lovely party. Fairly quiet, mostly food and good conversation. Will has some great friends here."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Winry replied over a cup of tea. "There's water for tea if you would like some."

"Yes, thank you." Ren moved past her into the kitchen. "As much fun as last night was, I usually prefer to be in bed at a more reasonable hour!"

"So do I," Winry chuckled. "It's been a little while since I pulled an all-nighter. While I miss them occasionally, I don't think I could get by on that little sleep anymore." It was the simplicity of life when that was a regularity that she missed, not the late nights themselves. Now they were rare.

"When I set up practice I suspect there are times it will be fairly commonplace," Ren smiled as she poured a cup of tea.

"Do you still hope to do that here eventually?" Winry asked. She knew that Elicia hoped Will and Ren would settle in Central eventually, but wasn't entirely sure that they would still want to when they were done traveling all over the continent.

Ren nodded. "Actually, Ethan and I have discussed setting up a practice together when we do. Given how rare alchemical healing and alchemy based medicine is in Amestris, it would help keep costs for research lower and make it easier for people to find us. Also, our focuses are different, so that would certainly be an asset."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Winry nodded, smiling "I suppose it helps that Ethan started all this to help auto-mail patients, and a large number of those reside in the major cities and often come through Central or can come here more affordably than other places now."

"Indeed," Ren smiled. "That and he wants to be close to home when he's done with his own training. Will wants to come back home eventually too, much as I know he's looking forward to travel."

"Wanderlust seems to be a family trait," Winry chuckled softly. "It's never aimless of course, but they get restless, especially the boys."

"So I am noticing," Ren stirred milk and honey into her tea and joined Winry at the table. "Where are Edward and Tore this morning?"

"Out on a little excursion," Winry replied. "I'm sure it's more physical training and alchemy lessons, but I don't know where Ed took Tore today. It might have something to do with their little trip on Saturday as well." After Tore's first alchemy lesson, they had gone with Elicia over to the police station to look through his mother's things. Tore had come home with a few of those things, though not many since that included anything that had been hers; clothing, a couple of pieces of furniture, books, and the like. His items included one slightly ratty stuffed rabbit and a couple of children's books he was obviously too old for but apparently had sentimental value.

Ren looked thoughtful for a moment. "Would it be out of place for me to say that the boy reminds me of Edward?"

Winry couldn't help but agree. "Not at all. I have to admit, I catch myself thinking the same thing sometimes. He's only been here a week, but he seems to fit here and, I'm not sure Tore realizes it, but he seems pretty happy when he gets into something and forgets about his situation for a little while."

"Edward seems to be very fond of him," Ren commented.

That was something else Winry had noticed. While it had started out as a sympathetic bail out and curiosity at a mystery, she knew Ed liked the boy – despite complaints about his occasional attitudes that reminded Winry even more of Ed – and cared about the boy, not just what might happen to him. "He is," she said after a moment, "And I think that's good for both of them." She sincerely hoped that would continue to be the case. She was growing fond of Tore as well and definitely wanted the boy to be safe and happy however this all turned out.

* * *

When Ethan dragged downstairs a couple of hours later, Ren had dressed and Winry had finished her tea, tinkered a little with an auto-mail upgrade she was working on for her son's fingers, and then spent some time with the dogs. Edward and Tore returned in the middle of the afternoon looking well-worn out but both smiling.

"Baths for you both," Winry declared looking at their dirt-smudged faces and clothes. "We have dinner at the Bredas' tonight remember. What _were_ you two up to?"

Tore grinned impishly. "Fullmetal was teaching me how to fight."

"Combat Ed?" Winry looked over at him curiously.

"How else do you teach self-discipline and humility to a rambunctious young alchemist at the same time?" Ed's grin was smug, but he looked surprisingly happy and relaxed. Tore seemed the same as well as exhausted. Winry would have tried to find fault in that statement except that it seemed to have worked for the moment.

"Bathe," she repeated with a patient sigh. "I'm glad you boys had a good time."

The rest of the afternoon passed relatively quickly as everyone prepared for that evening which included making a couple of dishes to bring to donate to the pot-luck fare. It was going to be a relatively big crowd, Winry knew. The entire Elric clan was invited, along with the Mustangs, Vato and Sciezka Falman, Kain Feury and his wife and grown daughter with her husband and two kids, and Alex Armstrong and his wife. Their daughters were both married and living elsewhere.

Winry was very much looking forward to tonight. It had been a long time since they had all been able to gather together.

"Good evening Mr. Elric, Mrs. Elric," Charisa Breda met them at the door with a big smile, dressed in a white blouse and above-the-knee skirt with a blue sweater that matched her bright blue eyes. She greeted Ethan and Ren as well and eyed Tore curiously. "Hello," she smiled at him too. "Please everyone come in."

"Good evening, Charisa," Winry and Ed chorused as they all came in to the warmth of the house.

"You look very nice this evening," Winry complimented.

The eleven year old girl smiled brightly. "Thank you, Mrs. Elric."

They went in, took off coats, and headed for the kitchen to drop off dishes first. Winry had brought a stew and Ren some Xingese cabbage rolls. She wasn't surprised when Edward and Ethan branched off to join what sounded like lively conversation in the living room.

It was good to be with friends.

* * *

Tore tried not to look intimidated by the fact that he was having dinner in the house of the President of the Military, surrounded by more names out of history than he could have ever expected. He was glad for the khaki pants and dark blue sweater that had once been Ethan's. They were the only reason he didn't look like a beggar as far as he could tell.

For several moments he was left standing with no clear idea of what to do next. Mrs. Elric and Ren had gone into the kitchen where he could hear gabbing, and he could just see Mrs. Breda, Mrs. Falman, and Sara Heimler through the doorway. He could hear plenty of other women in there too, and decided that might not be the best place to head.

Glancing through the doorway that led into the large living room he saw President Breda, The Flame Alchemist, and a younger man who looked just like him he guessed to be his son, the Firebrand Alchemist. The other men he could guess who they were. The mountain of a man with a loud but jovial voice had to be the Strong Arm Alchemist. He knew Fullmetal and his brother of course.

For the moment it seemed relatively evenly split men and women, though Tore guessed that would change once things settled down a little. That's how things seemed to happen when all the Elrics got together, so it was the only basis he had for a pattern of behavior in this kind of situation.

So, he could join the men or… the kids? Tore wasn't actually sure where they were. He had asked questions earlier about who would be here, trying to sound curious instead of nervous, and Mrs. Elric had been kind enough to tell him who would be here. Charisa and her little brother Niam, Maes mustang's little son and daughter, Sara's daughter Trisha, and Feury's two grandkids while his daughter was visiting; a girl who was five and a boy who was three. So Charisa was the only one really close to his age. Still, little kids were less intimidating than the other options.

"Are you okay?"

Tore jumped and turned, realizing only then that Charisa was still standing there, politely waiting for him. He felt his cheeks flush hot. "I… yeah. I was just trying to decide where to hang out."

Charisa giggled, her bright, deep blue eyes seemed to be laughing. Tore had never seen hair that deep a red before either. "Well I recommend staying out of the kitchen if you don't want to get put to work. Right now I think the men in the living room are trading stories about politics and past adventures."

"How do you know that?" Tore asked curiously.

"They always do," Charisa replied. "Daddy usually won't let me listen in on those conversations. He says they're not _appropriate for young ladies," _her voice dropped into a reasonable imitation of President Breda's, if not nearly so deep and more humorous. The inflection was spot on though.

Tore couldn't help smiling. "So what would you recommend?"

"Well Niam has the little ones wrangled in the play room upstairs," Charisa replied. "We can go see if they haven't tied him up yet, or I could show you around the house…umm… I'm sorry," she looked mildly embarrassed. "I don't think I've heard your name."

Tore shrugged. "I'm Tore. Well, Terrence if you want to get technical about it."

Charisa smiled then and offered her hand. "I'm Charisa. It's nice to meet you, Tore. We go to the same school now right? I think I heard you were in my friend Kally's math and history classes."

"I guess." Tore wasn't sure what to do, so he took Charisa's offered hand and shook it. That seemed to be the right move.

She returned the shake firmly, then let go. "Come on, I'll show you around. It'll be a little while until dinner."

Tore figured the best option was just to go along. Charisa was the friendliest person his age he had met in the past week. Not that he had been trying to make friends or purposefully trying to push people away either; Tore just had more important things on his mind. He also wasn't entirely sure what to make of a girl who dressed like a little lady, but shook hands as firmly as any guy. She was friendly but also confident and she didn't seem prissy.

The house was actually not much bigger than the Elrics' house if Tore had to guess. The lay-out was different though so he couldn't be sure. The entry way came in, with the living room off the hall to the left and the kitchen at the end with a door that led into the living room and, on the other side, the dining room, a library study, and the stairs. The bedrooms were upstairs and mostly on the right end of the house. They avoided the living room and kitchen, and peeked into the upstairs play room that was full of enthusiastic but reasonably well behaved children, and eventually ended up in Charisa's room.

"This is mine," she grinned as Tore followed her inside. He had no idea what to expect – again – he had never been in a girl's room before. It was a pretty room, about the size of the alchemy lab at the Elrics – which he remembered being told was once Sara's room. The walls were painted a light twilight-bluish purple with white wooden trim. Her curtains were white with tiny matching flowers in the same purple. The bedspread was striped in a color fade that went from the same purple to a medium dusk blue to soft sage green and back again repeatedly down the length of the bed spread. The pillow cases were in any of the three colors. The bed, desk, bookshelves, and doors were also painted white.

Tore noticed that while there was a window over the bed, there was a very long curtained window in the right-most wall up against the side of the house that looked more like doors. Curious, he approached it. They _were _doors!

"Hey neat. You have a balcony?" he asked.

"Yeah," Charisa grinned, coming over to join him. "It looks out over the side yard."

Tore didn't try to open the doors. It was too cold outside. He turned around. Aside from the decorations, it still wasn't what he had expected. There were several stuffed animals on the bed or shelves and a small radio on the desk. Lots of books, but they ranged from novels – mysteries and adventure stories mostly – to history and books about art. The ones neatly stacked on the desk he recognized as school books. There was also a softball and mitt, and a couple of small trophies on a shelf that looked like junior league softball championships. "This is really nice," he finally complimented.

"Thanks," Charisa replied. "Mom and I redecorated it last year. There used to be way too much pink."

Tore chuckled. He wasn't fond of the color either. He couldn't help feeling that it was odd though to be standing here, listening to Charisa talk about the Bredas as if they had always been her parents. He swallowed, not sure how to bring up the subject, but he hadn't had a chance to talk to anyone who had lost their parents who seemed so happy to find another family. Even the other foster kids he had lived with hadn't seemed this content with life. "So you're…I mean I heard that you were…."

"Adopted?" Charisa said the word with an amused chuckle and a slight shrug. "Yes, when I was three. Niam was itty-bitty then."

"But you look so much like your folks…" Tore blurted then blushed. "Sorry." He was trying_ not_ to insult her.

"Don't be," Charisa giggled, still smiling kindly. "We do both look a lot like them, Daddy especially, but it's a coincidence more than anything else."

"It's weird that you call them Mom and Dad."

"Why should it be?" Charisa asked in return. "They've been my parents for eight years. I barely remember my birth parents before they died. I mean, I loved them, and I was very sad when it happened, but the village helped take care of us, and then this couple showed up saying that they were friends of Sara Elric – the alchemist who helped in the village after the accident – and they wanted to know if we wanted to be a part of their family too. They didn't ask us to call them Mom and Dad, but I could tell they hoped they could be new parents for us. They weren't trying to replace our first ones, just let us have a loving family. They wanted kids, we wanted parents."

For some reason, Tore found the entire conversation very uncomfortable. "It still seems weird," he admitted, though he felt kind of foolish.

Charisa did not seem insulted though. "Well I think it was easier because we knew our parents weren't coming back. Niam doesn't even remember them at all. As far as he's concerned Nancy and Heymans Breda might as well be our original parents. He knows, of course, but he doesn't really ask about it much."

Tore wasn't sure what he had expected to find out in starting this discussion, but it wasn't going quite the way he had figured it would. He smiled though. "Well I'm glad you're both happy. They seem really nice, and it's obvious they care about you a lot."

"We're a family," Charisa leaned against the wall next to her mirror and a corkboard covered in pictures of friends and her family. "Family's the people who love you whether they're related by blood or not. And in this case, we all got to choose to be a family."

For her it really was just that simple. Tore felt a momentary pang of jealousy. "I still think my Mom might be alive," he admitted after a brief silence. He wasn't sure why he wanted to talk about it now, but Charisa just seemed to make it so easy. "I didn't get to choose any of the four homes I've been in this year. It drives me crazy that people keep trying to treat me like I'm some poor orphan."

"Even the Elrics?" Charisa looked surprised.

"Well no, not them," Tore admitted, sitting down in her empty desk chair. "They…I'm not sure what to make of them sometimes. I mean, they do seem to treat me like family – visiting family maybe – but they don't seem to expect me to treat them the same way. It's weird. I just wish I knew for sure if they like me and just want to help like they say or if there's some ulterior motive for looking up what happened to my mom or taking me in."

Charisa was smiling. "That's just them," she replied with complete conviction. "All of them. I'm told the first thing Sara did when she heard my parents wanted to adopt was make sure they heard about Niam and me. She was really nice to us after the avalanche, but just because she wanted to make sure we were okay. She didn't want anything out of it. Daddy's known them for a long time, and he says that's just how they are; always helping people even if it gets them in trouble or in danger. If they say something about something important like that, they mean it."

Coming from an adult, Tore knew he would have dismissed most of it as hearsay or someone trying to sugar coat the situation, but Charisa had no reason to want to say anything that wasn't true about them. Well, okay, she was very partial to them because of Sara, but Tore was used to be patronized and this definitely wasn't that. She simply confirmed what his instincts told him – what he wanted to believe; that the Fullmetal Alchemist and his family really were just good hearted people who – for whatever reason – liked him and wanted to help out a kid in trouble. "Thanks," he smiled a little self-consciously. "It's good to know. I mean, I want to like them, I really do, I just don't want to get too close."

"Why not?" Charisa asked, momentarily confused.

"It just hurts more when I have to go away," Tore shrugged. "Officer Garvis is looking for a foster family for me right now. I'm only with the Elrics for another week. After that I don't know if I'll even see them again."

"Well you could if you wanted to right?" Charisa looked slightly appalled at the very idea.

"If my foster parents will _let_ me," Tore replied. "That's what it means to be a ward of the state. You're lucky, Charisa, your village took care of you until you were adopted. Even Fullmetal had someone who took him in, and then he and his brother joined the military. There was no one who ever snatched them up and made them part of _the system._ I just hope I'll get to spend time with anyone I like for a couple of months at a time."

He was startled when Charisa stood up and reached out and squeezed his hand firmly. "Well I don't care what happens after next week. I like you and I think we should be friends, and if anyone wants to stop that then they can argue with Daddy." A surprisingly mischievous little smirk appeared on her face.

Tore was floored. She wanted to be his friend? They'd only known each other for about forty-five minutes. Still, he wasn't one to turn down a direct offer of friendship. He liked her too. She was interesting and didn't treat him weird. She seemed to understand where he was coming from despite their different backgrounds. "I don't think a lot of people try and argue with your father," he smiled, squeezing her hand back and trying not to look embarrassed by her display of loyal emotion. She sure didn't do things half way. "Yeah, let's be friends."

Tore was saved from trying to come up with something else to say by a "kids, dinner" called up the stairs by Mrs. Breda. A second later he heard the thundering of small feet heading down the hallway.

Charisa grinned and let go of his hand as he stood and they headed for the door. "We don't want to be late, this will be a real treat."

"I bet," Tore smiled. He was sure it would. He already knew how well at least half of the people downstairs could cook! Still, the thought sobered him that he should probably enjoy it while it lasted. He would have to go back to the _real_ world in a few more days. Tore just hoped he would be able to make good on their agreement to be friends when life changed again. He didn't want to hurt Charisa's feelings if things didn't turn out the way she hoped.

* * *

"Well I guess this means you can stop ribbing me about Aldon's growing brood," Edward laughed as he looked at Roy Mustang's smug expression as they sat around in the living room after dinner. "Théa's only five months old." He glanced over at Maes and Elena, who were chatting with Will and Ren on the other side of the room, and tried not to shake his head. "Little Roy isn't even three!"

Roy shrugged, looking amused if slightly unsure what to make of the situation himself. "Elena wanted a large family and Maes will do anything to make her happy. I'm beginning to wonder though if he's taken complete leave of his senses."

"It's a good thing they have her inheritance," Breda chuckled. "At least they can afford it."

"It's not the cost that concerns me," Roy admitted. "I just worry that they haven't really thought this through."

"I hear that." Ed could understand Roy's concern. He was a little worried about Aldon and Cassie. Not because they weren't good parents; they were, and they loved their kids and provided for them well, but he knew that this one had caught them off guard, and they were getting a little worn out.

"Well what about you, Ed?" Falman asked with a slight smirk.

"Me?" Ed blinked, missing the reference.

Feury chuckled. "He's talking about taking in Tore. You finally have the house to yourselves and you take in the kid who tried to pick your pocket."

"Like you could have left him at the police station," Ed snorted, looking at Feury. "Besides, he's got a definite talent for alchemy."

"And your attitude," Roy laughed.

Ed didn't try and disagree. "Yeah, he does. He's a good kid and I like him, even if he does drive me a little nuts at moments." He looked over at Roy. "You don't have to say it; serves me right."

"Did I say anything?" Roy looked unconvincingly innocent.

"Do you think his mother's still alive?" Falman asked. "Sciezka's been talking about nothing but that case all week."

"I hope so," Ed replied honestly. "If nothing else though, Tore should know what happened to her even if it's bad news. Otherwise he'll always wonder."

"Don't try and cover it," Breda grinned. "You don't want to let him go do you?"

Did he? Ed had brought the kid home on impulse. Good intentions aside, he just had a soft spot for boys who had something happen to their mothers. But he had gotten to know Tore in the last week and the more he knew, the more he wanted to know. "Not to anyone but his mother," he finally replied honestly. "But I don't have the final say in that."

"Don't tell me _you're_ going to play by the rules?" Roy looked almost horrified.

Ed smirked. "I'm not going to risk anything when it comes to a kid's life, Mustang. I can't just ignore the State. It'll be nothing but trouble if I do."

Breda looked impressed; Roy mollified. "Finally some sense in one of these situations," Breda laughed, his amusement aimed at Roy.

"Sciezka's trying to have something more by the end of the week," Falman added. "But she's not sure they will."

"Elicia said the same thing," Al spoke up. "It's quite a puzzle."

Ed had almost forgotten his brother was part of the conversation; he'd been quietly listening for so long. "Well if anyone can find her those two lovely ladies can," he grinned, "As easily as Breda can find the dessert end of the buffet."

"Cheap shot," Breda complained, all in good fun of course.

"I give you exhibit A," Falman chortled, gesturing to the plate of pie in Breda's hands.

"Today is one of those rare exceptions," Breda smirked.

"Right, that one day you're off-the-leash," Roy sniggered.

They all shared a round of laughter, even Breda. There wasn't a man there who didn't spend most of their time following the advice – sometimes at weapon point – of their wives! Ed knew that not a one of them would have it any other way.


	6. Chapter 6

**January 5****th****, 1957 **

The next week turned out to be a very educational one for both Edward and Tore. With school out of session, Ed decided to bring his _student_ to HQ full time. It accomplished several things. This kept Tore out of trouble and under supervision in a very controlled environment, but it also gave him the chance to see what being a State Alchemist was about.

During the day Tore got to sit in on some of the alchemy lectures and combat classes. This close to the State Alchemy Exam a lot of it was well over his head, but that was all right. Ed could tell he was still fascinated and watched the combat classes with eager attention. When Ed was in his office, Tore curled up on the couch and read through as much of Basics of Alchemy as he could get through. Then Ed would quiz him. When he was convinced Tore understood a new concept, they would work with it. The boy really was a quick and eager student when it came to something he wanted to do. While he was focused on learning alchemy, he wasn't trying to see if he could get out of Ed's house _just to see if he could_, or sulking or worrying.

When Ed was done for the day they worked on alchemy or exercised, or Tore would work on the couple of actual school projects due when he got back. Ed made sure of that. As much as he had never felt he was missing out on school as a kid after he became an alchemist, he knew that there were a lot of positives to it from what he had seen with his own kids. What Tore seemed to need now was structured routine; something he could count on consistently.

Friday was a day of leave-takings. Ethan and Lia headed back to school on the morning train to East City, and later that day Will and Ren headed out on the train for Creta.

That evening was quiet; oddly so Ed felt after having had a full house for weeks. He already missed the constant in and out, and having Will and Lia over half the time on top of having Ren and Ethan around. They were all doing fine and going about their lives. Once more, they had headed off on their own.

This time though, Ed and Winry weren't left to themselves. Tore was here, and Ed found it interesting that he did not feel that in any way an invasion of privacy. It was kind of comforting.

After dinner and dishes Tore excused himself and headed upstairs with Basics of Alchemy. Ed didn't try and force any together-time. If the boy wanted to do his own thing he wasn't inclined to press. Besides, something in the boy's demeanor told him he was bracing for the separation that was coming all too soon.

Later, snuggled up in bed with Winry cuddled up beside him, Ed found it difficult to sleep. He lay on his back in the darkness that was broken only by moonlight coming through the window, shining down across the end of the bed and up towards him.

"What's wrong, Ed?"

"What makes you think anything's wrong?" he replied softly to Winry's question.

"You're tense and wide awake," she replied quietly. "Something's bothering you."

Observant as always; Ed sighed and shrugged slightly, pulling her closer. "I was just thinking that on Monday Tore will be leaving us too… and I don't want him to."

"He's grown on me too," Winry admitted; she sounded like she was smiling. "He's such a nice boy when he lets himself, and with the ongoing investigation and his interest in alchemy, it would be such a shame to have them hand him off to someone else now."

"You sound like you're trying to talk me into something," Ed pointed out, turning his head to see her face silhouetted against the darkness.

Winry smiled. "Have you talked to Garvis recently? Does he even have a new family lined up?"

Ed paused with his mouth slightly open. "I… well no," he realized. "We're supposed to talk tomorrow about plans for Monday."

Winry kissed his cheek. "Then do what your heart tells you to do, Ed. Call tomorrow and see what he says. Whoever he's found could be very willing to let Tore remain your student and let us spend time with him. We can't do anything if we don't know the current situation."

"I love you," Ed turned his face, catching her lips on his before she pulled away from his cheek. "You always have such great ideas."

"Always?" Winry asked playfully.

Ed rolled a little more, wrapping both arms around her waist. "When it counts," he amended. She knew how to make him feel better too. Even going by _the book_ that didn't mean he had to lie down and do nothing.

Right now though, he found himself distracted by the more pressing urge to lie down and do _something. _

**January 8****th****, 1957**

Tore followed the Fullmetal Alchemist and his wife inside the police station with surprisingly mixed feelings on Monday morning. It wasn't as if he hadn't done this particular song and dance before. Every couple of months for a year he had been passed on to a new foster home.

So why was it that after barely two weeks staying in the Elrics' house as a potential-thief-turned-guest – even if he had felt a little like a hostage the first couple of days – he felt so much regret that it was ending already?

Tore hadn't wanted to prolong the pain so he had packed everything the night before. This morning he put on his old clothes – which were now definitively a little too short – at least until Mrs. Elric told him to go back upstairs and put on something that fit properly; anything he had worn in the last couple of weeks he was welcome to. Startled, but feeling oddly touched, he had complied.

No, Tore didn't really have to wonder why he felt regret. Even though he really didn't care for having to follow orders of people who technically shouldn't have authority over him, or do dishes, or do homework when he wanted to be working on more alchemy… there had been a lot more in those two weeks that he had wanted to do and gotten to than in the entire past year.

Charisa had been right. The Elrics were who they were and that did not change for anyone. Tore was a kid, so he should expect to be treated like one. Still, they didn't treat him _like a kid_ the way he was used to. He was expected to help out because he was there and everyone else did, not because it was chores or he was younger. He wasn't coddled or babied, nor was he given _orders_ except when they pertained to following house rules and anything under Fullmetal regarding alchemy lessons.

They treated him like a thinking, feeling human being and asked his opinions. They had offered to help him in his quest to find out what happened to his mother when other people had given it up for hopeless or no longer important.

Tore tried not to think about it. It didn't matter how nice they were, or reasonable, or how much he actually felt _welcome_ with them instead of tolerated or something to be taken care of. He walked inside with his head high and resigned to try and make sure he at least got to find out what happened with the investigation and – he hoped – continue to learn alchemy!

They were waved back to Officer Garvis' office immediately. Tore followed them back and inside. Fullmetal closed the door behind them.

"Have a seat," Garvis smiled as he motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. He looked at Fullmetal. "You're sure about this?"

"Positive," Edward replied with a nod, and Mrs. Elric looked similarly serious.

Tore swallowed. They wanted to get rid of him? Had he worn out his welcome so quickly? Well he _had_ tried to escape those couple of times, and he wasn't always agreeable. He was pretty surly when he was tired. But he thought they liked him.

"All right then," Garvis sat back and folded his hands, looking at Tore. "Terrence, after two weeks, given your history, I was able to find _one _foster family willing to take you."

"Yes, sir," Tore replied, trying hard not to sound too sullen. He was tough… he could handle this. One family; what could they be like? "Who are they?"

At that, Garvis actually looked mildly amused. "The Elrics."

Tore froze. Had he heard right? His head snapped sideways and he looked at Fullmetal. "Are you serious?"

Edward grinned hopefully and his wife smiled. "Only if you want to stay," he replied. "We won't make you. It'll be the same rules," he warned.

They were serious. They wanted him to stay, but they weren't going to make him. "Where would I go otherwise?" he asked warily, looking back at Garvis.

Officer Garvis shrugged. "I would keep looking for another foster family. It might take a while to find one however. I had no luck at all until General Elric called me a couple of days ago and told me they would be happy to have you. From what he's said, and the school verified, I certainly couldn't see any reason to turn down the request."

Tore was used to being checked up on. He was still too stunned to feel much yet. Moments ago he had been stealing himself to meet another new couple of who knew what description. Now…. "Yes," he blurted before he could be dumb enough to ruin the opportunity. "I mean, yes, I'd like to stay with the Elrics."

Garvis seemed mildly surprised by his enthusiasm, or at least the surety of his statement. Still, he nodded approvingly. "Excellent. I have the paperwork here. This will only take a few minutes."

Time seemed to whirl and lose meaning. The adults handled the paperwork and before Tore knew it, he was standing back outside with a new set of long-term foster parents. "Thank you," he barely remembered to be polite first. "But…"

"Why?" Fullmetal asked with an amused smirk on his face.

Tore nodded. "Yeah."

Mrs. Elric smiled much more kindly than her husband, though she too looked a little amused. "Because everyone deserves to be someplace where they are liked and appreciated. You're a bright, talented, nice young man, Tore. We want you around and you seem to like living with us a lot more than anyplace else you've lived lately. You have things you want to do, and we respect that."

Like, appreciate, respect… Tore would have settled for much less. It was kind of overwhelming really. "I can live with that," he smiled.

"Besides," Fullmetal chuckled. "It would be pretty hard to keep you up to date on finding your mother and your alchemy lessons otherwise."

So apparently the older alchemist did enjoy their sessions as much as he seemed to, and Tore knew _he_ did. This wasn't the end of things… it was a beginning.

"So," he said, trying to cover an unexpected welling of grateful emotion. "What do I call you? I mean, you're my foster parents now right?"

"Whatever you're comfortable with," Mrs. Elric replied.

Fullmetal shrugged. "Fullmetal is fine, but if you want something a little less cumbersome, Teacher is good. After all, if anyone asks, that's what I am right? Your alchemy teacher."

Teacher. Tore didn't have to tell people they were his _foster parents_ – a term he had always hated. They were his alchemy teacher and the man's wife. Tore's smile became a little more confident. "Cool."

**February 16****th****, 1957**

Maes Mustang tried not to smile too much as he sat at his desk in the office. Despite the slick ice that had moved into Central for the past few days he was in a good mood. Apparently that annoyed his coworkers though; at least when he got too cheerful. But why not? He had a beautiful wife, adorable kids, and another coming. They lived well and he enjoyed his work as a State Alchemist. Lately almost all of his missions were local so he was rarely away from his family. Today was mostly paperwork but they couldn't all be fun days.

"You're doing it," Ragnar commented with amused irritation from the desk across from him.

Maes looked up and shrugged. "I'm trying not to."

"It's the woman who's supposed to glow," Torv laughed as he crossed behind him to put something in a filing cabinet.

"That's a myth, Skald," Sara chuckled without looking up from her own work. "Trust me. It's the father who does all the glowing. The mother just does all the work."

"Isn't that the truth," one of the female officers commented from across the room. If Maes remembered correctly, she also had a young child.

"The women have spoken. I guess we can't really argue," Ragnar shrugged.

"I still beg to differ," Maes smirked. "Elena glows beautifully. All I do is take care of her."

"Leaving her to do all the work," Torv sniggered. "That doesn't seem fair either."

"Is any work getting done in _here_?" Marcus Kane commented as he came in, surveying the room.

"Apparently not as much as gets done in the Mustang house," Torv quipped before he got smart and shut his mouth.

"Physicals and Assessments aren't the only evaluations around here," Kane looked at him. "Remember that." Performance evaluations were done regularly as well. Fortunately everyone in Kane's office knew he usually didn't consider sarcasm or joking a problem as long as they didn't interfere with the job.

Any reply was interrupted by the office phone ringing on the table next to Sara's desk. "Colonel Elric speaking," she picked up the phone.

"So what leads you to grace us with your presence, Sky Fire?" Maes asked as the general quiet chatter continued.

"Just the usual," Kane replied with a shrug. "Making sure my staff isn't sloughing off. I—"

"Excuse me, Mustang, Kane."

Maes and Kane both looked up at Sara, who looked concerned. "It's for you, Maes."

Her use of his first name told him immediately it was important. "What is it?" He stood and moved for the phone.

"It's important," she replied vaguely.

Maes was more than a little concerned as he took the receiver. "This is Maes Mustang speaking."

"This is Doctor Linda Fillmore," a female voice came across the line. "I'm sorry to inform you that your wife had an accident this morning and slipped on some ice downtown."

_Elena!_ "Is she all right?" Maes asked, fear gripping him immediately.

"She hit her head and fell pretty hard on her side," Fillmore replied calmly. "She will recover completely within a few days."

"But?" Maes could hear the exception hanging in the air across the line.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said quietly, "but the fall caused a miscarriage."

_Mis…_ "No!" Maes forgot himself, shouting right there in the office. Not the baby! "I'm coming," he dropped the phone without bothering to hang up and spun hard, almost slamming into Marcus Kane in the process.

"What's wrong, Mustang?" Kane asked, startled.

"Elena's hurt," Maes shoved past his superior officer without another word. There wasn't time to explain. Hell, he wasn't sure he _could_ explain without completely losing it!

"Mustang wait!" he heard a voice behind him as he went out the door – it sounded like Sara – but Maes didn't stop. He had to get to his wife!

Maes _ran_ the short distance from Military Headquarters to the Hospital, fighting packing the entire way and hitting the door full speed, only slowing down long enough to get directions to Elena's room.

Doctor Fillmore met him in the hallway, blocking his way by mere force of personality as her diminutive form got in front of him. Maes barely avoided hitting her as he came to a halt. "Just a moment please," she said softly. "You dropped the phone before I could finish talking to you."

"I'm sorry," Maes blurted, "I just…had to get here. How's Elena? What exactly _happened?"_ Another thought hit him belatedly, "And where are my children?"

"Your son and daughter are with your mother," Fillmore replied. "Apparently Elena dropped them off there before she went shopping this morning."

That was no small relief. "But… Elena…" _Damn it!_ He needed answers _now!_

"She slipped and fell," the doctor repeated, continuing to keep that insufferable calm that drove Maes nuts about doctors even though she did honestly look sympathetic. "It was the angle and force of the fall on the hard street curb that caused the most damage. We did what we could, but there was no way to save the baby."

Maes felt a hot stinging in his eyes and wiped it away roughly with the back of one hand. "You… you said Elena will be all right."

"With rest. She knocked her head pretty badly and her side and right ribs are bruised. A couple of them are cracked. She's dizzy, nauseous, very tired and, naturally, very upset."

Shit. "Let me in, Doc," he said. "I need to see my wife." Maes felt his hands shaking slightly. The reality was just sinking in.

"I just wanted you to understand the situation fully," Fillmore replied, then complied and moved out of the way.

Elena lay in the hospital bed, a bandage around her forehead and large bruises visible on her face and part of her shoulder. Maes didn't have to look to know they continued down her side. He only had to look at her face and see the heartbroken expression and tear-stained cheeks. She looked away as he entered.

"Elena," Maes crossed to her bedside and knelt, taking her hand. "I was so worried." He was not prepared for her reaction as Elena jerked her hand away and rolled away from him – despite the little gasp of pain it elicited from her. She burst into fresh sobs. Maes felt at a loss. ::My darling,:: he slipped into Aerugean. ::Please, don't cry.::

Elena did not respond.

::It's all right,:: Maes soothed softly. ::You're okay. I—::

::Okay?:: Elena glanced sharply over her shoulder with a stricken look. ::How can you say it's okay? It's _all right_? I lost our baby!::

::It's not your fault,:: Maes replied. It wasn't. As much as he wanted to cry with her, to scream it wasn't fair to lose a child this way, Elena needed him to be calm right now, to be strong. ::It was an accident.::

Elena continued to cry. ::Not now,:: she replied with a shake of her head as she looked away again. ::Please, leave me alone.::

"But, Elena I—"

"Go."

He was crushed. Maes knew she was upset. He knew she felt guilty about something that probably could not have been prevented. Or it could, but it was a freak accident. It had happened and there was no fixing it now. Still… he had never had her tell him to go away, not once. "If that's what you want," he replied softly, standing again and forcing himself to turn and walk out of the room.

Maes wanted to cry… and to hit something. In the hallway he leaned against the wall, resting his face against the cold surface.

"Give her a little time," Doctor Fillmore said slowly. "There is always a period of shock and mourning – and usually guilt – associated with a miscarriage. Then what she'll need most is comfort. If—"

"Shut up," Maes barked, more harshly than he normally would but he just couldn't take it. He didn't want to hear what he already knew reasonably explained. He didn't want to talk about the miscarriage. His wife was in pain and there was _nothing_ he could do to help!

"We need to discuss—"

"I said shut up!" Maes rounded on the doctor, though only a very strong grip on reality kept him from striking out. Everything was feeling odd, he felt light headed, and the room was warm. His temper flared and his blood pressure was high. He wanted to beat something – needed something to blame for this – and there was no enemy; just a harmless street corner that happened to be glazed in ice.

"Maes, please calm down. I—"

"I will not calm down!" Maes felt himself losing it, but he didn't care at the moment. He was going to explode otherwise, so he just let it go. "My wife is injured and doesn't want to see me, my child is _dead_ without even a chance to be born! What the hell should I be calm for? There's nothing I can frickin' _do_ about this and you want me to calm down and discuss it! I'm still absorbing the fact all this_ happened_! If you think I-"

"Maes Mustang!"

That familiar bark brought him up short. Maes froze, and turned to see his mother standing in the hallway… with his children. Théa was crying in her grandmother's arms, and little Roy looked like he was going to do the same. His dark eyes were open wide and stunned. How long had they been standing there? Shit.

Riza looked shocked and upset. "We're all upset about this," she pointed out a little more softly, though no less firm, "But shouting at the Doctor isn't going to help the situation. It's not her fault."

No, it wasn't. If anything, Maes felt guilty for not going out with Elena this morning, or telling her to stay home and take it easy. If he'd been there, if he could have caught her…. "Sorry," he said gruffly to Doctor Fillmore, then turned away. "I… I need some time."

"Of course." To her credit, the doctor remained as calm as ever. "Whenever you're ready, we need to talk about your wife's current condition and out-patient care for when she goes home, at least until she is fully recovered."

"You can talk to my mother," Maes said, looking up at Riza. "Can you keep the kids tonight, Mom? I… I just can't." He couldn't even explain.

"Of course we can," Riza promised. She looked as stricken as he felt, but as always his mother reacted to stressful conditions better than he did. At least when it came to family members. She was obviously worried, but she was better at hiding it.

Roy looked up at him, his not-quite-three year old mind obviously starting to piece things together. "Is mommy okay?" he asked.

Maes sighed and forced himself to at least appear calmer. He crouched down and looked at his son. "Mommy's very tired," he explained as calmly as he could. "She's sore but she'll be okay after she gets some rest all right?"

"Okay," he replied, looking convinced. "What about baby?"

Maes flinched despite trying hard not to. "There…there isn't…." he just couldn't do it. Tears started falling, and Maes could barely see his son's face, blurred through them as he hugged his son tightly.

A warm familiar hand rested on his shoulder. Maes would have known his mother's touch anywhere. "I'll take them home," she said softly. "I haven't been able to reach your father yet. I'll let him know."

"Thanks." Maes barely managed even that. He felt his mother gently pull his son from his grasp, and heard them walking down the hallway. For another long minute he stared at the tiled hospital floor – cold white flecked in bluish-gray. He felt immovable, leaden, despite the raging grief and anger in his head. Finally though, he forced himself to his feet. He needed to move, to get out somewhere – anywhere – and let his mind catch up with everything that had happened in far too short a time. "I'll be back in a little while," he commented, sure Doctor Fillmore was still standing there even though he didn't turn to look.

"See you then," she replied simply.

Maes had no idea how he found the hospital door again, or where he was going as he headed out into the cold air and glaring sunlight. It was barely noon. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

* * *

The rest of Sara's day was a long one. After Maes stormed out of the office and she had hung up the phone after him, it had been difficult to focus on work. Other than his outburst that Elena was hurt and the frantic look on his face, they heard nothing in the office. Not that she expected anyone to call them about it. Not immediately. Mid-afternoon Sara finally called Rockbell Auto-mail. If something was wrong in Maes' family, her mother would almost certainly have heard from Riza by then.

Sara's guess had been right, and she managed to get the basic details. Her heart ached for her friends when she heard about the baby. Her mother sounded just as upset, and Sara understood why. Under different circumstances, but there had been a time they weren't sure Ethan would make it into the world.

It got to her too. When she picked Trisha up from being watched by Gracia that afternoon Sara couldn't help but give her daughter an extra tight hug. Gracia had gotten a call from Winry and knew about the accident already as well.

Sara made her way carefully over to her parents' house, where Franz would meet them. He got off a little later than she did, but didn't have to swing by and get Trisha today.

Tore answered the door.

"Hey squirt," Sara smiled.

"Don't call me that," Tore snorted as he let her in, though by now he had to know Sara only did it because it tweaked him!

"Cuzin!" Trisha giggled, launching herself at her favorite plaything of late.

"Sorry," Sara smiled tiredly as she watched Trisha latch herself onto Tore's leg. "It's been a rough day."

"So I heard," Tore replied, his scowl softening. He was a good kid really, and Sara was getting used to having him around all the time at her folks' place. Tore fit in surprisingly well with her family. Of course, that was part of why her parents hadn't wanted to give him up. Sara appreciated that he was willing to play with Trisha. "Your mom told me when she picked me up after school."

Sara nodded as she took off her coat and hung it up next to Franz's. So apparently he had beaten her here. In her distraction she had missed seeing the other car out front. "It's a sad thing," she sighed. "I haven't heard a word from Maes since this morning. I hope he's dealing with this all right." She knew better than to expect anyone to take that kind of news _well_ but Maes was so focused on his wife and children, and so emotional when it came to family, that she was worried. Though she supposed she shouldn't be. His mother and father were there to support him, and he probably wouldn't want to leave Elena's side. "So," she turned around with a determined smile. Now was not the time to mope and be even more worried. It wouldn't help the situation. "Is there anything hot to drink around here? I'm half frozen."

"Tea, coffee, and hot chocolate," Tore smiled then. "What's your preference?"

"Chocolate," Sara replied without hesitation. Tonight definitely seemed like a good night for it. She could use a _strong beverage_ for comfort.


	7. Chapter 7

**February 17****th****, 1957**

_Hello hangover. It's been a while._ Pounding head, aching insides; a familiarly unpleasant sensation. Maes stretched, rolled slowly over and blinked up at the ceiling. _When did a crack form on th…._ Were the heck _was_ he?!

He wasn't in his bed at home. That was the first thing Maes realized. The second – and infinitely more horrifying – was that he recognized the crack in the ceiling. _What happened last night? _He remembered walking aimlessly through Central making no attempt to rein in his emotions as they battled in his head. He remembered going into a bar and ordering a few drinks. After that… nothing.

This was bad. Very….very bad. In an immediate panic Maes jerked upright despite his head and took stock of the situation. Yes, he knew this apartment. Shit oh shit… oh…. Half undressed, shirt and boxers… but that could mean anything. He almost never slept without shorts. Had he? Had _they_? This couldn't be happening!

He heard running water then and glanced towards Vanessa's bathroom door. He heard humming, and the pillow smelled like jasmine… this…was….not….good! Maes scrambled up, swallowed bile, and grabbed for the first piece of his uniform that came to hand – his pants, damn it – then socks, boots, and he scrambled across the floor grabbing his uniform jacket and then his heavy black military coat.

The shower water was still going. Good. He had to get out of here! Maes dragged his clothes on and hauled his ass out the door, letting it slam behind him. He didn't care! He hurried down the stairs and out into the street, taking a sharp right and heading towards home.

It took him longer to get there – and was much less dignified – than Maes would have liked. He had to stop in an alley and last night's drinks made an unappealing reappearance. He desperately needed to relieve himself too. So Maes stopped in a coffee shop about half way home, ordered a cup – black – and used their restroom.

Feeling ill, but mildly functional, Maes made his way back to his house. Had anyone tried to call? Was someone looking for him? If they were, what would they think? What would they ask! His mind whirled around with dozens of questions. How the heck had he even _gotten _to Vanessa's apartment? He had no memory, none whatsoever, of talking to anyone last night at all. It was just one drunken, blurred muddle that eventually blanked.

The one question that would not leave him alone was the worst… _Did I just cheat on my wife? _It was almost too horrible to contemplate. But surely he would remember if he had done something with Vanessa…wouldn't he? The last time he had been in her apartment he had turned her down and left. That had been the last time he saw her other than in general passing and that was a few years ago.

Damn it why couldn't he remember! Maes got home and took a long hot shower, scrubbed down, and changed into civvies. No one would expect him at Headquarters today. At least he hoped not. There was no way he could think straight enough to work right now.

Elena; he had to get back to the hospital. Even if she said she didn't want to see him he couldn't imagine not being with her a moment longer. He hadn't meant to be away so long! She was probably feeling worried, or hurt, or abandoned or….

Maes would have run to the hospital if not for the patches of ice still being cleared from the city walkways. When he arrived Doctor Fillmore was in with another patient. The nurse in the room took one look at him and flashed a sympathetic smile. "Rough night?" she asked softly as she stepped out of the room.

Maes shrugged nonchalantly and tried not to look guilty. He wasn't! Was he? "Yeah," he replied. "How's she doing?"

"We gave her a mild sedative," the nurse replied. "So she slept most of the night. She's been asking for you for about an hour now."

At least she wanted to see him. Maes went into the room and was relieved when Elena did not look away or burst into tears. Instead, she looked relieved. "I'm sorry," were the first words out of her mouth. "I didn't mean to treat you like that."  
Maes gathered her hands in his and kissed them. "You're forgiven, my love," he tried not to start crying in relief. "We're both upset. I just don't want you to blame yourself for something that was an accident. Just please, let us mourn and move on together. I don't want you to feel alone, and I need you. I love you."

"I love you too," Elena smiled weakly. "You are such a romantic."

Maes flashed a smile he only half felt, though the words were entirely sincere. "You make it impossible to be otherwise. So, how_ are_ you feeling?"

"Tired, achy," Elena gave a small shrug. "Empty. It's like my body hasn't realized that the baby is gone yet."

Maes dropped her hands with one to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. "I promise you'll feel better someday," he said softly. "We have two beautiful kids. There will be more… won't there?" It occurred to him belatedly that the damage might be more severe than he thought. He hadn't actually talked to the doctor yesterday.

Elena nodded. "She said I'll be fine," she replied. "That we should be able to have more without trouble. Still I… " She choked up and stopped.

"Shhhh," Maes kissed her cheek. "I know." It would be all right, some day. For now though, the pain was raw and fresh. Elena needed him, and Maes had no intention of doing anything but taking care of her until she was ready to stand strong again. She and his children were his world. He couldn't imagine living without them now… he knew he'd never make it.

**February 18****th****, 1957**

Winry almost laughed at the embarrassed, dejected look on Tore's face as he stood in the hallway in a pair of Ethan's old jeans. She managed not to though, just smiling kindly as he admitted that they no longer fit.

Winry squatted down and reached out and wedged a finger in the waistband. Or tried anyway; he was definitely growing. "You're right," she nodded. "It looks like you've outgrown these."

"I'm sorry," Tore apologized. "I'm not trying to cause trouble."

"Why would this be trouble?" Winry asked, momentarily confused.

"Well if I didn't eat so much I—"

Winry cut him off with a finger to the lips, understanding dawning. She did laugh this time. "Now none of that. You're lean as a pole. You're just growing like any normal boy is supposed to. Before you get taller, usually you fill out a little. That's all that's going on. I mean look at this," she tugged at the bottom hem of one leg. "It's a good inch too short." The boy was finally getting all the food his body wanted and it wasn't wasting any of it!

Tore looked momentarily relieved, probably because she wasn't made at him. "Still, it's not like I have a lot of clothes."

Winry stood up. "You don't think that's all I have downstairs do you?" she winked at him. "Ethan and Aldon both went through quite a lot; especially Aldon. I meant to sort them out and give a bunch away. I'm glad now I didn't get around to it. I'll just bring up the next sizes and you can try them on and see what fits and what you like okay? Then maybe this weekend we can go shopping for anything you still need."

The idea of going shopping seemed to stun Tore even more. Winry always felt sympathetic when she realized how much he had missed out on lately. She was sure his previous foster families had not been bad people, but they were obviously not the right match for him. After a month and a half here, Winry already caught herself thinking of him as almost another son. She understood now that this was just how Izumi had felt about Ed and Al.

"Thank you, Mrs. Elric," Tore nodded politely. He was always polite to her, no matter how snarky he could get with Ed. "I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Winry smiled. "I'll go get that box now so you don't have to go to school like that." She would make sure to find the one with things a little big for him. If he continued to grow like that, he wasn't going to remain that short for long.

Wouldn't Ed have been jealous at that age!

**February 28****th****, 1957**

Sara was glad that the weather had warmed up a little again. For the past few days an unusually warm spell had wiped away the ice that had plagued Central, replacing it with rain. The afternoon air was slightly chilly, and the sky cloudy as Sara pulled Trisha out of her seat in the back of the car and let her run up the walkway to Maes and Elena's front step.

Trisha stretched up, trying to reach the door knocker. At two and a half, she was still a little too short. "Door, mommy!" Play dates with little Roy were her favorite activity.

Sara chuckled as she knocked and waited. A minute later Elena opened the door, smiling. "Good afternoon, Sara," she smiled as Trisha darted past her and there was immediately squealing of two happy toddlers in the other room. "Come on in. I was just making coffee."

"Sounds great," Sara followed her inside and took off her jacket. Elena had come home from the hospital on the nineteenth, and Sara knew Riza had been over here a lot the past week helping Elena out and making sure everything was all right while she recovered. Her friend still moved a little stiffly, but was obviously much better – at least physically. "Where's Maes?" she asked as she sat down at the breakfast table.

Elena poured them both cups of coffee and joined her. "I mentioned wanting to cook one of my mother's favorite dishes and he insisted on going out and finding the spices we don't have," she smiled, but it seemed a little off.

"That's sweet of him," Sara commented as she added sugar and cream to her coffee.

"He's been very attentive lately," Elena sighed.

Sara gave her a confused look. "Normally that's a good thing," she pointed out gently. "Is something wrong?" She knew losing the baby had been hard on both of them. Elena and Maes' entire world seem to revolved around their family a lot of the time, and while Sara wondered if maybe it wasn't a little too much, there was really nothing wrong with that.

Elena looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Maes blames himself for what happened," she said after a moment, "for not being there with me, as if he could have done anything. For me he tries to act like he's all right, that he is not heartbroken because of losing the baby."

"And you still blame yourself," Sara hazarded a guess. "It was an accident, Elena."

"I know," she stirred her coffee absently, smiling weakly. "I tell myself that. I understand it, but I still feel like I should have been more careful somehow." Sara had heard the story. Elena _had _been careful. It was a patch of ice that had been missed somehow, and even holding on to something, with her balance a little off she slipped and went down. "Maes has done everything to make me comfortable, but I feel like he's doing too much. It doesn't seem forced just… unnatural, even for Maes."

Now that was saying something! Especially considering how protective of Elena Maes _usually_ was. "Is it making you uncomfortable?"

"A little," Elena sighed. "But it seems to make him feel better so I haven't objected."

"It's probably for the best," Sara agreed. "Let him get it out of his system. If he's feeling guilty telling him to stop isn't going to do any good anyway. He'll calm down eventually." Even Maes did that; it just took him longer than some men. Okay, longer than _most. _

Elena nodded, smiling a little more assuredly. "You're right. I know the pain will ease for both of us eventually. It was just so sudden."

Nothing traumatic had happened to them since the war. While Sara hated to think it, perhaps that fortune had been too good to last. Until now there had been nothing really to try Maes and Elena's relationship. They always seemed to be happy and in agreement. Until now… Sara smiled back and sipped her coffee. "It was," she agreed sympathetically. Now was the time for comforting friends not analyzing their relationship. "I'm sure everything will be all right again before long."

**March 2****nd****, 1957**

Tore munched on a homemade chocolate chip cookie as he sprawled across his bed, reading his history assignment. He wanted to get his homework done so he could get back to Basics of Alchemy! The reading assignment was pretty interesting actually. It was recent history, and they were reading about the Ishbal Massacre, which heavily featured several current political figures that Tore now _knew._ Okay, so not well, but he had met them and spent time around them. It was much easier to visualize the alchemists being used as weapons in Ishbal when he had personalities to go with them, and for soldiers as well, even if it was hard to picture General Breda as a young Lieutenant, or Roy Mustang as a Major!

It was still a little surreal, thinking of it as his bed in _his_ room. Part of Tore felt like a traitor for thinking so of anyplace other than the little apartment he and his mother had shared, but he was finally starting to think that anyplace he occupied that had some modicum of privacy really was _his_ for however long he lived here. He was still in the slightly smaller of the upstairs bedrooms where he had originally been given sleeping space. The Elrics had offered him the bigger guest room that used to be Aldon's room, but Tore had declined – politely. He didn't need more space, and he was getting used to the room. It was kind of cozy, and being at the end of the hall almost opposite their bedroom door afforded the most privacy.  
Tore had a bed, a desk, a chair, a window with curtains, and a closet all to himself. Neither Fullmetal nor Mrs. Elric came in without knocking when he was in the room and while he noticed that clean laundry came in, and the bin of dirty would go out, none of his personal things ever moved. Having people respect his privacy was a nice change. He still couldn't actually _do_ alchemy in his room – he tried everyone once in a while – but he hadn't figured out what trick Fullmetal had concocted to make that impossible yet. At this point he figured that he probably wouldn't figure it out on his own until he knew more about alchemy. It was a safety factor, or so he had been told, not so much an issue of trust. While Tore figured that was at least mostly true, he knew that it had originally been put in place to keep him from breaking out. Well, he'd earned that reputation. It would take a while to undo it.

Downstairs he could hear Mrs. Elric in the kitchen preparing dinner, which smelled good as usual. She had picked him up this afternoon after school and he had spent a couple of hours at the auto-mail shop before they came home. It was pretty interesting stuff actually. Now they were just waiting for Fullmetal. The house was a lot emptier without the holiday tenants, and Tore found he actually missed having Ren and Ethan around; especially Ethan. He was easy to get along with and talk to.

The front door opened and shut; Fullmetal coming home no doubt. His first stop would – undboutedly – be the kitchen where he would say something cute to Mrs. Elric, flirt maybe, steal a bite of whatever was being prepared, and then start helping. That seemed to be the routine most of the time.

Most of the time.

"Tore!" Fullmetal's voice carried up the stairs. "Come down here!"

What was that about? Tore bristled slightly at the sound of what seemed like a summons, but he decided not to argue yet. He marked the book, wolfed down the rest of the cookie, and headed downstairs.

He was glad he had. Ms. Sciezka and Ms. Elicia were in the living room – also still in uniform – with a file that looked like the others he had seen involving the case to look for his mother. Tore hesitated momentarily in the hallway. "Did you find something?" he asked, eyes going wide.

Ms. Sciezka smiled slightly. "Something," she chuckled with a nod. "We've found some very interesting information that we wanted to share with you."

There was something in her tone though. Tore swallowed even as he moved forward to join them. "Did you find Mom?"

"Not yet," Ms. Elicia apologized. "But we did follow her trail as far as we could."

"So you found one!" That was news to him!

Ms. Sciezka opened the file as he sat down next to the two women. "By tracing likely patterns of travel and asking around we were able to find people who remembered seeing someone either of your mother's description or your uncle's in several towns – sometimes together. They were almost never near the trains, but that's not surprising since we know they would have had very little money. The trail leads almost directly north up to North City."

"Then what happens?" Tore asked excitedly, momentarily forgetting that this story could end in bad news. He sobered again quickly. "Or…do I want to know?"

"She didn't die there either," Ms. Elicia assured him. "Or at all as far as we can determine. It looks like they were definitely traveling together and left the city together."

There was something here that did not connect. "But why would they both leave? And without me?"

"We're still trying to trace that," Ms. Sciezka sighed. "It doesn't make sense, but there's no messages or anything in what belongings they had that we have been able to look through, or the police did, with any information as to why they left so suddenly. Not until we started listening to the reports of people who spoke with them. Or at least, with your mother."

"What did they say?" Tore wanted to scream at how long this was taking, but he forced himself not to lose control.

"It seems several overheard your mother talking about getting treatment," Ms. Elicia answered. "So at least as far as your mother was concerned that sounds like where she was going, and that it was a trip that had to be made quickly. Beyond that the only other clue was one comment about her son staying with friends."

Now that really didn't fit. "But that's not what happened at all!" Tore exclaimed.

"We know that," Ms. Elicia sighed. "But that's at least what your mother seemed to think. Which means it may have been what she was _told_ by someone else, like your uncle." She shrugged. "That last part is conjecture, but seems to follow the pattern."

"So, if Mom's not dead, where did they go?" Tore asked.

It was Ms. Sciezka who answered. "They were last seen heading for the Drachma border."

Tore froze. "Drachma? What kind of treatment could Mom possibly get in Drachma?"

"I have no idea," Fullmetal commented, joining in the conversation. "But if that's where they went, it's going to be hard to keep tracking that trail." He sounded honestly disappointed.

Ms. Elicia nodded. "We'll need cooperation from our own counterparts in the Drachman government, or the help of civilian investigators, to track them once they entered Drachma. All we know now is they made it that far, and it took them most of a month to reach the border traveling the way they were."

That, at least, sounded hopefully. "So you are going to keep looking for her…right?" Tore understood this was difficult and using military resources. He wouldn't be surprised if they stopped there.

"We sure are," Ms. Sciezka smiled at him through her thick glasses. "But that may take a long time. The trail's already over a year old."  
"I understand," Tore replied, hoping they understood how grateful he was for all of this already! "Thanks."

"We'll let you know as soon as we find anything else," Ms. Elicia promised as they stood up. "We should probably get going," she smiled. "It's dinner at home for us too."

Tore nodded, lost in thought trying to absorb the information as the two ladies said goodbye to the Elrics and left.

* * *

When the two women were gone, Edward sat down next to Tore, watching the boy's expression. He looked resigned but not hopeless. That was a good thing. "You okay?" he asked. He knew how hard it was for a boy who wanted answers to be patient, and Tore had expressed his frustration several times in the last couple of months.

Tore looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. I always knew if Mom hadn't gone far or died she would have come back for me. I'm just glad to kind of know where she went and why, even if it's more of a mystery than I thought it would be."

Ed nodded. Drachma for medical treatment? It did sound funny, though it was closer than Xing. Maybe they had some medicinal plants up there they weren't sharing with Amestris. Either way, it kept getting more suspicious to Ed. "One we'll answer eventually," he replied confidently. No matter what, he would make sure of that.

Tore eyed him a moment, then smiled back. "Yeah, we will."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Finis! At least for this story. ;) More coming!


End file.
